Pocket Protector

The candidate who said "I'm not going to let Wall Street get away with murder" is ... well, you know.

In the wake of the financial crisis, Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

On Friday, Mr. Trump unveiled his plans to gut this law "because, frankly, I have so many people, friends of mine, who have nice businesses who can’t borrow money."

Turns out Congress has the same friends. One target of their attack: the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. (*disclosure: How to Help's Chris Vaeth previously worked at the CFPB).

In the five years since now-Sen. Elizabeth Warren opened the CFPB, "the agency that's got your back" has recovered nearly $12 billion for 29 million Americans scammed by financial companies.

The CFPB has taken on the worst practices in mortgage, student, auto, and payday lending, as well as debt collection, credit reporting, and more. It's done so by writing new rules of the road to protect consumers, enforcing those rules, and handling more than a million consumer complaints.

How to help defend the agency that's got your back

Americans for Financial Reform, a coalition of 200+ nonprofit consumer and civil rights groups, is furiously working to defend the CFPB.

You can join their efforts and follow #DefendCFPB on Twitter.

Allied Progress also has an action campaign.

There's also been some speculation that Trump could try to (unconstitutionally) remove Senate-confirmed Director Richard Cordray. We'll keep you updated.

How to get help if your financial institution isn't treating you right

As long as the CFPB can still do its job, it can help you or someone you know.

You can file a complaint about a financial institution at www.consumerfinance.gov or calling (855) 411-CFPB. The call center provides support in 180+ languages. You will hear back in a matter of days.