Why It Matters

The American Financial Services Association spent $266,000 on in-house lobbying in the first quarter of 2026, targeting a broad legislative agenda centered on curtailing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, shaping auto industry tax policy, and advancing fraud prevention legislation. The central challenge for AFSA's members — consumer lenders, auto finance companies, and personal finance firms — is a regulatory environment they view as increasingly restrictive, built largely through Biden-era CFPB rulemaking. The association's lobbying targets a legislative solution that would structurally limit the Bureau's reach: placing the CFPB under the congressional appropriations process, a change that would subject the agency to annual budget battles rather than its current self-funding mechanism through the Federal Reserve.

That goal runs through nearly every issue area in the disclosure — from budget reconciliation provisions to the TABS Act (H.R. 654), which would rename and restructure the CFPB, to the broader DOGE-era push to limit federal agency scope. The legislative opportunity is real: the House Financial Services Committee has already marked up reconciliation provisions targeting CFPB funding, and the One Big Beautiful Bill (H.R. 1) — which has passed the House — includes provisions relevant to AFSA's automotive finance members.

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By the Numbers

The first quarter 2026 in-house filing reports $266,000 — unchanged from each of the prior four quarters. This quarter lobbying filing reflects the association's sustained effort to reshape the consumer finance regulatory landscape under the new administration. AFSA has held that figure steady since at least the second quarter of 2025, down from $280,000 per quarter reported consistently throughout 2023 and 2024. Over the trailing 12 months, AFSA's in-house operation disclosed $1,330,000 in lobbying expenditures across five quarterly filings.

This is not AFSA's only lobbying activity. The association also retained six external firms during the prior year, each focused on distinct issue areas:

The first quarter 2026 in-house filing lists three lobbyists: Michael Grimes, Ann Harter, and Celia Winslow — the same team that has appeared on every AFSA in-house disclosure going back through 2023. Michael Grimes, AFSA's Vice President of Congressional Affairs, has a recorded congressional internship in the office of Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) during the 112th Congress. No congressional staff records were found for Harter or Winslow in the available database.

Grimes also lobbies for Bay County, Florida on a separate retainer. Harter has expanded her portfolio to include Vineyard Offshore LLC and the Chef Ann Foundation. Winslow additionally represents the City of Winslow, Arizona on federal appropriations matters.

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The Agenda ### CFPB Reform and Oversight

The disclosure's most prominent thread is CFPB-related, appearing across at least six of ten issue categories. Specific items include:

  • H.R. 654 — TABS Act, which would restructure the CFPB and bring it under appropriations
  • S.J. Res. 36, a Congressional Review Act resolution to overturn the CFPB's rule banning medical debt from credit reports
  • The CFPB payday lending rule, which AFSA has sought to limit or rescind
  • Budget reconciliation provisions targeting the Bureau's scope, funding, and power
  • DOGE policies as they relate to CFPB and broader federal agency limits

Consumer Credit and Fraud Prevention

AFSA also reported lobbying on H.R. 306, the Ending Scam Credit Repair Act, which would impose new licensing requirements on credit repair organizations. AFSA publicly endorsed the bill. Grimes was quoted in a Senate press release from Senators Murkowski and Coons calling it a tool against "credit-repair organization scams." The disclosure also lists the FTC's click-to-cancel rule, data privacy issues, the TCPA, and the SCAM Act — fraud prevention legislation AFSA reported supporting in both chambers.

Automotive Finance and Tax Policy

A notable addition in recent quarters is AFSA's engagement on automotive tax issues. The disclosure references the 45W commercial clean vehicle tax credit, an off-ramp provision from that credit, and an auto tax deduction embedded in H.R. 1. AFSA also cited CFPB Section 1071 requirements — the Biden-era small business lending data collection rule with a compliance deadline of April 2026 for large institutions — and fraud prevention in the auto lending space.

Additional Issues

The filing also covers arbitration policy, Military Lending Act regulations, SBA rules from the prior administration, COVID-era loan forgiveness, and Industrial Loan Company legislation -- the last of which is handled exclusively through the Williams Group engagement.

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Broader Context

The legislative environment surrounding this financial regulation lobbying effort has moved rapidly. A March 2025 House Financial Services Committee hearing titled "A New Era for the CFPB" captured the moment AFSA was lobbying into — members openly questioning whether the Bureau was still functioning under DOGE-era constraints. An April 2025 committee markup produced a budget reconciliation bill defunding the CFPB, which Democrats opposed but Republicans advanced.

The TABS Act was reintroduced in January 2025 with AFSA's public endorsement. The FTC's click-to-cancel rule — finalized in October 2024 — was subsequently vacated by the Eighth Circuit in July 2025, with the FTC signaling it would pursue new rulemaking. S.J. Res. 36 was introduced after the CFPB itself moved to invalidate its own medical debt rule in April 2025.

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Competitive Landscape: Who Else Is Lobbying These Issues

AFSA is not alone on its core priorities. The American Bankers Association and the Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness both reported lobbying on the TABS Act. On S.J. Res. 36, the National Consumer Reporting Association, BuoyFi LLC, and the American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management have all filed disclosures touching the medical debt rule. On H.R. 1's auto provisions, General Motors and the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association are among those with active filings. On the SCAM Act, Match Group and Verizon have reported lobbying activity.

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The Bottom Line

AFSA is a longstanding and consistent lobbying presence with spending at a steady pace, with the same in-house team, quarter after quarter. The first quarter filing reflects a trade association that has found significant legislative alignment with the current Congress and administration on its core priority: limiting the CFPB's authority. With budget reconciliation advancing and H.R. 1 already through the House, the near-term window for structural changes to the Bureau — the outcome AFSA has lobbied toward across multiple issue areas — appears more open than it has in years.

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