“The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is moving toward new rules giving borrowers more rights to sue banks and credit-card companies, the agency’s latest attempt to shift the balance of power to consumers from financial institutions.

“The CFPB is set Wednesday to propose rules that curb mandatory arbitration. The plan throws the new federal agency into the center of a national debate over whether consumers are helped or harmed by arbitration agreements that block class-action lawsuits. Such clauses are common for a range of products and services such as mobile phones, credit cards and nursing homes.

“The proposals under consideration would ban companies from including arbitration clauses that block class-action lawsuits in their consumer contracts for a broad range of financial products including credit cards, checking and deposit accounts, prepaid cards, money transfer services, certain auto loans, payday loans and private student loans.”

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Read the full Wall Street Journal article by Yuka Hayashi here.