Some analysts and business owners are concerned that the CFPB is going to make access to credit more difficult, slowing the wheels of commerce considerably in the process. Crain’s New York Business reports that the newly minted Bureau is making small business owners in New York nervous that they, and their customers, will have limited access to credit, as the CFPB flexes its regulatory muscles.

The combination of the credit card act and the recession triggered card issuers to raise interest rates by about 2 percentage points, notes Nessa Feddis, VP and senior counsel at the American Bankers Association.

“If the bureau imposes further restrictions, the additional regulatory burden could [result in] higher interest rates and fees,” Feddis said. The agency does not have the power to cap either.