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The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Friday upheld a lower court decision to deny the CFPB's attempt to subpoena information from the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, an organization that accredits for-profit colleges.

The bureau's subpoena is the latest in a pattern of interest on the bureau's part in the for-profit college industry. In September 2016, acting under the Dodd-Frank Act's provisions on unfair, deceptive or abusive acts or practices (UDAAP), the CFPB ordered for-profit college chain Bridgepoint Education to pay an $8 million civil penalty and refund student loan payments totaling more than $23.5 million. The bureau's investigation was aided by the California Attorney General and the Department of Education.

In this most recent case, the CFPB requested more information about the organization's accreditation process, including a list of schools it had accredited since 2010. The court sided against the bureau because it failed to clearly state why it sought such information and "the nature of the conduct constituting the alleged violation which is under investigation," according to the court's opinion.