38^th Annual Financial Services Conference

Wednesday, December 10 2025

• 8:55am

  Welcome & Introduction

  Susan Weinstock, CEO
  Consumer Federation of America

• 9:00am

  Conference Overview

  Adam Rust, Director of Financial Services
  Consumer Federation of America

• 9:05am

  Opening Address

  The Numbers Behind the Big Tech Headlines: Public Opinion Data on AI, Online Scams, Data Privacy and E-Commerce

  Monica Anderson, Director of Internet and Technology Research
  Pew Research Center

• 9:40am

  The Role of Big Tech in Platforming and Spreading Fraud

  This session will focus on how platforms like Facebook, X, WhatsApp continue to facilitate the spread of fraud, resulting in significant consumer losses each year. The panel will break down and analyze the mechanisms—such as algorithmic amplification, lax content moderation, and opaque advertising systems—that allow scams to thrive on social media, search engines, and marketplaces. There will also be a focus on the relationship between financial services used on/off these platforms and the scams spread through them. The conversation will focus on the policy gaps that enable this ecosystem, and explore regulatory strategies to hold platforms accountable, protect users, and restore trust.

  Introduction

  Ben Winters, Director of AI and Data Privacy
  Consumer Federation of America

  Moderator

  Yosef Getachew, Senior Policy Counsel
  Reset Tech

  Panelists

  Dhruv Kathuria, Technologist

  Katie Paul, Director
  Tech Transparency Project

  Tom Sporkin, Head of Enforcement
  CFP Board of Standards

• 10:40am

  Networking Break

• 11:00am

  Section 1033 Personal Financial Data Rights Rulemaking

  The CFPB’s original Section 1033 rule aimed to strengthen open banking by giving consumers powerful rights to control how their personal financial information is accessed and used. It prohibited banks from charging fees to share data and limited secondary data use —ensuring that fintechs could only use financial data for purposes explicitly authorized by the consumer. The rule promoted safer, more standardized data sharing practices, reducing reliance on screen scraping, and established the use of a standards-setting body to provide agile, industry-wide governance. After a change in CFPB leadership, the agency withdrew its defense, triggering a formal reconsideration this fall and reigniting debate over the best path forward for consumer financial data rights and open banking.

  Introduction

  Adam Rust, Director of Financial Services
  Consumer Federation of America

  Moderator

  Dan Murphy, Founder
  Sunset Park Advisors

  Panelists

  Jane Barratt, Chief Advocacy Officer
  MX

  Kate Prochaska, Managing Director, Regulatory Affairs
  JPMorgan Chase

  Chi Chi Wu, Director of Consumer Reporting and Data Advocacy
  National Consumer Law Center

• 12:05pm

  Luncheon Address

  Brian Schwalb, Attorney General
  Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia

• 12:35pm

  Luncheon

• 1:30pm

  Tech Comes to the Insurance Market: The Opportunities and Pitfalls Facing Industry, Regulators, and Consumers

  While the insurance industry has always been data driven, the last several years have seen an explosion in the promotion and use of technology advancements in all aspects of the insurance lifecycle. This panel will bring together the perspectives of insurers, technologists, privacy experts, and consumer advocates to introduce and explore the introduction of AI, new data sources, and new tech products and firms to insurance underwriting, rating, claims handling and fraud fighting. The panel will discuss opportunities to leverage big tech for climate resilience, concerns about balancing reliance on tech “solutions” with expectations of consumer protection and civil rights, and the dangers of dark patterns and consumer manipulation in insurance markets.

  Introduction

  Doug Heller, Director of Insurance
  Consumer Federation of America

  Moderator

  Chuck Bell, Programs Director, Advocacy
  Consumer Reports

  Panelists

  Brenda J. Cude, Professor Emerita, Department of Financial Planning, Housing and Consumer Economics
  University of Georgia

  Atur Desai, Deputy Superintendent for Innovation Policy
  New York State Department of Financial Services

  Justin Kloczko, Tech & Privacy
  Consumer Watchdog

  Ryan McMahon, Senior Vice President of Strategy & Corporate Development
  Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT)

• 2:30pm

  Networking Break

• 2:45pm

  Mortgage Deserts: Why Mortgages Remain Scarce in Some Communities and What to Do

  Without mortgages, homeownership would be out of reach for most people. But CFA’s new report shows that “mortgage deserts,” places where relatively few homes are bought with a mortgage, exist across the country from rural Georgia to Detroit. These rural and urban communities often have many homes valued under $150,000, and high shares of manufactured housing and heirs’ property. In some mortgage deserts, cash buyers and investors crowd out mortgaged buyers. Why do mortgage deserts persist today, why does it matter, and what promising financing tools and policy solutions could help close the gap? Panelists will highlight distinct urban and rural challenges and discuss small-scale financing innovations that are already making a difference. They will also discuss promising federal and state-level policy solutions, from expanding small mortgage access to strengthening consumer protections for mortgage-alternative products.

  Moderator

  Sharon Cornelissen, Director of Housing
  Consumer Federation of America

  Panelists

  Liz Coyle, Executive Director
  Georgia Watch

  Chris Garland, Community Development Manager
  National Community Stabilization Trust

  Sara Miller, Policy Analyst
  Hope Policy Institute

• 3:50pm

  What is Agentic AI and How Could It Transform Payments and Pose Risks to Consumers

  Agentic AI is set to transform consumer shopping by enabling apps—likely developed by Big Tech firms like Google, Meta, and major payment platforms—to autonomously search for products, apply filters, set price caps, make purchases, and arrange shipping. With built-in payment wallets, these AI agents can act on a consumer’s behalf from search to checkout with little human involvement. While this offers new levels of convenience, it will also consolidate more market power within dominant platforms, raising concerns about competition and access for smaller sellers who rely on independent discovery channels.
  At the same time, these services introduce new risks for fraud and consumer harm. Automated transactions blur the lines of intent and authorization, making it easier for fraudsters to exploit vulnerabilities and harder for consumers to detect abuse. As these tools roll out rapidly, existing consumer protection and financial oversight mechanisms may struggle to keep pace. Regulators will need to act swiftly to adapt rules and create safeguards that address the unique risks posed by autonomous, AI-driven commerce.

  Introduction

  Adam Rust, Director of Financial Services
  Consumer Federation of America

  Moderator

  Kelly Thompson Cochran, Deputy Director and Chief Program Officer
  FinRegLab

  Panelists

  J.B. Branch, Big Tech Accountability Advocate
  Public Citizen

  Fabrice Coles, Senior Manager, Global Public Policy
  Paypal

  Delicia Hand, Senior Director, Digital Marketplace
  Consumer Reports

• 4:50pm

  Day One Adjourned

Thursday, December 11 2025

• 8:30am

  Breakfast Dialogue: State and Local Consumer Financial Protection

  While the CFPB is being gutted by its own leadership and defunded by Congress, many state and local consumer agencies are stepping up to fill the vacuum. Consumers across the country are being forced to grapple with the affordability crisis, which is already pushing them to consider alternative lending products. This panel will highlight the work being done by these agencies to address consumer financial services issues and discuss how advocates can be a resource for agencies that find themselves with an influx of complaints.

  Moderator

  Erin Witte, Director of Consumer Protection
  Consumer Federation of America

  Panelists

  Michael Bannon, Director
  Bucks County Office of Consumer Protection

  Christine Reedy, Consumer Specialist II
  Fairfax County Consumer Affairs

  Thomas Webb, Deputy Chief, Affirmative Litigation
  City of Baltimore

• 9:30am

  Keynote Address

  Tanya Otsuka, Board Member
  National Credit Union Administration

• 9:40am

  Crypto Laws and Regulations – Leveling the Playing Field or Lowering the Bar?

  With the adoption of a federal stablecoin law and the prospect of new laws or regulations for the treatment of crypto asset securities on the horizon, the financial services landscape is quickly evolving. A panel of industry experts from both the crypto and traditional financial services industry will discuss how these developments might reshape financial markets and how that may impact consumers and investors.

  Introduction

  Adam Rust, Director of Financial Services
  Consumer Federation of America

  Moderator

  Corey Frayer, Director of Investor Protection
  Consumer Federation of America

  Panelists

  Tonantzin Carmona, Fellow
  Brookings Institution

  Kelvin Chen, Senior Executive Vice President, Head of Policy
  Consumer Bankers Association

  Cleve Mesidor, Executive Director & Member of Board of Directors
  Blockchain Foundation

• 10:45am

  The CFPB Proposed Changes to ECOA. Why it Matters

  The CFPB has issued a new proposal that would roll back essential tools for enforcing fair lending and protecting equitable access to credit. If adopted, the rule would gut tools for identifying disparate impact, dilute prohibitions on discouragement, and block lenders from using race, color, national origin, or sex to design special-purpose credit programs—undermining decades of civil rights progress. This panel brings together leading fair lending experts to unpack the sweeping implications for borrowers and communities, as well as strategies for the advocacy community to promote inclusive lending.

  Introduction

  Adam Rust, Director of Financial Services
  Consumer Federation of America

  Moderator

  Brad Blower, Principal and Founder
  Inclusive-Partners

  Panelists

  Laura Arandes, Deputy Managing Attorney
  Democracy Forward

  Elena Grigera Babinecz, Shareholder, Financial Services Litigation and Compliance Group
  Baker Donelson

  Stephen Hayes, Co-Managing Partner
  Relman Colfax PLLC

• 11:45am

  Conference Adjourned