Banks with under $10 billion in assets won't be subject to the scrutiny of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. That means small-bank customers won't have the same protections under the bureau when taking out loans or making other financial transactions as customers of larger banks. Baker, from the Center for Economic Policy Research, says that some small banks exhibited many of the same behaviors that got bigger banks in trouble and exempting them from the consumer protection bureau's scrutiny is a loss for consumers.