SEC. 2. BUREAU WHISTLEBLOWER INCENTIVES AND PRO-
TECTION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Consumer Financial Protec-
tion Act of 2010 (12 U.S.C. 5481 et seq.) is amended by 
inserting after section 1017 the following: 
‘‘SEC. 1017A. WHISTLEBLOWER INCENTIVES AND PROTEC-
TION. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDING OR COURT 
ACTION.—The term ‘administrative proceeding or 
court action’ means any judicial or administrative 
action brought by the Bureau that results in mone-
tary sanctions exceeding $1,000,000. 
‘‘(2) FUND.—The term ‘Fund’ means the ‘Con-
sumer Financial Civil Penalty Fund’ established 
under section 1017(d)(1). 
‘‘(3) MONETARY SANCTIONS.—The term ‘mone-
tary sanctions’, when used with respect to any ad-
ministrative proceeding or court action means any 
monies, including penalties, disgorgement, restitu-
tion, or interest, ordered to be paid or other 
amounts of relief obtained under section 1055(a)(2). 
‘‘(4) 
ORIGINAL
INFORMATION.—The 
term 
‘original information’ means information that— 
‘‘(A) is derived from the independent 
knowledge or analysis of a whistleblower; 
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‘‘(B) is not known to the Bureau from any 
other source, unless the whistleblower is the 
original source of the information; 
‘‘(C) is not exclusively derived from an al-
legation made in a judicial or administrative 
hearing, in a governmental report, hearing, or 
from the news media, unless the whistleblower 
is a source of the information; and 
‘‘(D) is not exclusively derived from an al-
legation made in an audit, examination, or in-
vestigation. 
‘‘(5) SUCCESSFUL
ENFORCEMENT.—The term 
‘successful enforcement’, when used with respect to 
any administrative proceeding or court action, in-
cludes any settlement of such action. 
‘‘(6) WHISTLEBLOWER.—The term ‘whistle-
blower’ means any individual, or 2 or more individ-
uals acting jointly, who provides original information 
relating to a violation of Federal consumer financial 
law, consistent with any rule issued by the Bureau 
under this section. 
‘‘(b) AWARDS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In any administrative pro-
ceeding or court action the Bureau, subject to rules 
prescribed by the Bureau and subject to subsection 
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(c), shall pay an award or awards to 1 or more whis-
tleblowers who voluntarily provided original informa-
tion that led to the successful enforcement of the ad-
ministrative proceeding or court action in an aggre-
gate amount equal to— 
‘‘(A) not less than the greater of— 
‘‘(i) 10 percent, in total, of monetary 
sanctions imposed and collected in the ad-
ministrative proceeding or court action; or 
‘‘(ii) $50,000; and 
‘‘(B) not more than 30 percent, in total, of 
such monetary sanctions. 
‘‘(2) PAYMENT OF AWARDS.—Any amount paid 
under paragraph (1) shall be paid from the Fund. 
‘‘(3) AWARD MAXIMUM.—Notwithstanding any 
other provision in this section, the maximum award 
to any single whistleblower is limited to $5,000,000. 
‘‘(c) DETERMINATION OF AMOUNT OF AWARD; DE-
NIAL OF AWARD.— 
‘‘(1) 
DETERMINATION
OF
AMOUNT
OF 
AWARD.— 
‘‘(A) DISCRETION.—The determination of 
the percentage amount of an award made under 
subsection (b) shall be in the discretion of the 
Bureau. 
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‘‘(B) CRITERIA.—In determining the per-
centage amount of an award made under sub-
section (b), the Bureau shall take into consider-
ation— 
‘‘(i) the significance of the informa-
tion provided by the whistleblower to the 
successful enforcement of the administra-
tive proceeding or court action; 
‘‘(ii) the degree of assistance provided 
by the whistleblower and any legal rep-
resentative of the whistleblower in an ad-
ministrative proceeding or court action; 
‘‘(iii) the programmatic interest of the 
Bureau in deterring violations of Federal 
consumer financial law (including applica-
ble rules) by making awards to whistle-
blowers who provide information that leads 
to the successful enforcement of such laws; 
and 
‘‘(iv) such additional relevant factors 
as the Bureau may establish by rule. 
‘‘(2) DENIAL
OF
AWARD.—No award under 
subsection (b) may be made— 
‘‘(A) to any whistleblower who is, or was at 
the time the whistleblower acquired the original 
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information submitted to the Bureau, a mem-
ber, officer, or employee of an entity described 
in subclauses (I) through (V) of subsection 
(h)(1)(C)(i); 
‘‘(B) to any whistleblower who is convicted 
of a criminal violation related to the adminis-
trative proceeding or court action for which the 
whistleblower otherwise could receive an award 
under this section; 
‘‘(C) to any whistleblower who is found to 
be liable for the conduct in the administrative 
proceeding or court action, or a related action, 
for which the whistleblower otherwise could re-
ceive an award under this section; 
‘‘(D) to any whistleblower who planned 
and initiated the conduct at issue in the admin-
istrative proceeding or court action for which 
the whistleblower otherwise could receive an 
award under this section; 
‘‘(E) to any whistleblower who submits in-
formation to the Bureau that is based on the 
facts underlying the administrative proceeding 
or court action previously submitted by another 
whistleblower; 
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‘‘(F) to any whistleblower who knowingly 
and willfully makes any false, fictitious, or 
fraudulent statement or representation, or who 
makes or uses any false writing or document 
knowing the same to contain any false, ficti-
tious, or fraudulent statement or entry; and 
‘‘(G) to any whistleblower who fails to sub-
mit information to the Bureau in such form as 
the Bureau may, by rule, require. 
‘‘(d) REPRESENTATION.— 
‘‘(1) 
PERMITTED
REPRESENTATION.—Any 
whistleblower who makes a claim for an award under 
subsection (b) may be represented by counsel. 
‘‘(2) REQUIRED REPRESENTATION.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Any whistleblower 
who anonymously makes a claim for an award 
under subsection (b) shall be represented by 
counsel if the whistleblower submits the infor-
mation upon which the claim is based. 
‘‘(B) DISCLOSURE OF IDENTITY.—Prior to 
the payment of an award, a whistleblower shall 
disclose the identity of the whistleblower and 
provide such other information as the Bureau 
may require, directly or through counsel of the 
whistleblower. 
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