What is the primary role of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)?

The primary role of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is to protect consumers in the financial sector, including areas such as mortgages, credit cards, student loans, and other consumer financial products. Established after the financial crisis of 2007-2008, the CFPB aims to safeguard consumers from misleading practices and ensure they have access to fair, transparent financial services. This includes enforcing regulations that require lenders to communicate clearly with borrowers, providing educational resources about financial products, and monitoring financial institutions' practices to prevent discrimination and exploitation.

The other options do not accurately describe the CFPB's mission. Regulating interest rates falls under broader economic policies typically managed by the Federal Reserve or other financial regulatory bodies, rather than the CFPB's consumer-focused agenda. Managing real estate taxes is the purview of local and state governments, while supervising real estate agents involves different regulatory bodies that focus specifically on real estate practices, rather than the holistic protection of consumers across all financial products that the CFPB provides.