Seth R. Frotman is an American lawyer serving as the

general counsel A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department. In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...

of the

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for consumer protection in the financial sector. CFPB's jurisdiction includes banks, credit unions, securities firms, Payday lo ...

. He founded the Student Borrower Protection Center in 2018.

Education

Frotman earned a bachelor's degree from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

from 1996 to 2000. He completed a J.D. at

Indiana University Maurer School of Law The Indiana University Maurer School of Law is the law school of Indiana University Bloomington, a public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. Established in 1842, the school is named after alumnus Michael S. "Mickey" Maurer, an Indianapo ...

2001 and 2004.

Career

After completing his legal education, Frotman worked as a clerk at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit from September 2004 to September 2005. He then served as assistant staff counsel in the

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232,225 (2020 figure ...

from September 2005 to May 2006. Between May and December 2006, Frotman was the research and policy director for Patrick Murphy's congressional campaign in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. Following the campaign, he worked for Murphy from January 2007 to January 2011 in various legislative roles, including legislative director and deputy chief of staff. From June 2010 to January 2011, he was detailed to the U.S. House Appropriations Committee as an assistant to Murphy. In March 2011, Frotman joined the

(CFPB) as a senior adviser in the Office of Servicemember Affairs, a position he held until February 2015. Between February 2015 and April 2016, he held multiple roles in the CFPB's Office for Students, serving as deputy assistant director, interim

student loan A student loan is a type of loan designed to help students pay for post-secondary education and the associated fees, such as tuition, books and supplies, and living expenses. It may differ from other types of loans in the fact that the interest ...

ombudsman, and later assistant director from April 2016 to September 2018. During his tenure, the office handled over 50,000 student loan complaints and facilitated the return of more than $750 million to student loan borrowers. In August 2018, Frotman resigned from his position at the CFPB, citing concerns that the agency's leadership had undermined its ability to protect student loan borrowers. He accused the CFPB's leadership of suppressing a report on bank fees imposed on college students and stated that consumer protection efforts had been deprioritized. Following his resignation, Frotman founded the Student Borrower Protection Center, an organization aimed at addressing student loan-related

consumer protection Consumer protection is the practice of safeguarding buyers of goods and services, and the public, against unfair practices in the marketplace. Consumer protection measures are often established by law. Such laws are intended to prevent business ...

issues. In February 2025, he announced his resignation as CFPB

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frotman, Seth Living people Date of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) University of Michigan alumni Indiana University Maurer School of Law alumni People of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 21st-century American lawyers