Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has a lot on its plate for 2013

Consumer credit data may see improvements in 2013, as new protections and regulations go into effect.

Over the past year, the consumer financial marketplace gradually began to improve, according to Today. The newly-minted Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) began to pursue purveyors of unfair practices, and this is unlikely to slow down in 2013.

Some of the sectors likely to face more intense scrutiny in the new year are debt collectors, those that offer short-term lending options, prepaid cards and credit reports, according to the news source. The latter is gaining more attention due to an increase in the number of complaints about errors in credit reports.

January 2, 2013 will mark the beginning of the CFPB's oversight of the United States' largest debt collection agencies. "Millions of consumers are affected by debt collection, and we want to make sure they are treated fairly," CFPB director Richard Cordray said in a statement.

The CFPB will also be looking at how financial institutions charge overdraft fees, according to The Huffington Post.