Consumer law issues frequently occur with financial institutions that issue credit accounts. Issues with bankruptcy discharge violations, lemon laws for defective products, identity theft, warranties, financial and corporate fraud, utilities, privacy law, health issues caused by toxic substances and product safety also involve consumer law. Many different types of law intersect with consumer law, including products liability, insurance law, administrative law, sales and food and drug laws.

The federal government has enacted many laws and regulations to protect consumers, especially in the areas of consumer credit and debt. These regulations include the Consumer Credit Protection Act, Fair Debt Collection Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, Truth in Lending Act, and the Fair Credit Billing Act. These acts do much to protect consumers, including: requiring creditors to disclose credit terms to consumers, enabling consumers access to their credit reports, regulating debt collection practices and creating identity theft protections and remedies.

Many states have enacted their own consumer protection laws and have a Department of Consumer Affairs or similar agency, which aims to protect consumers through regulating the goods and services of certain industries. Every state also has at least one broad consumer protection statute that falls into the general category of the Unfair And Deceptive Acts or Practices statutes (UDAP). These statutes are very broad and they seek to prohibit vague, abusive, deceptive, and unfair business practices. These statutes offer consumers a wide range of relief from their claims, including punitive damages, class actions, and attorney's fees. Types of relief vary by state.