WASHINGTON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - The top U.S. consumer

financial watchdog, which the White House refuses to fund, is

seeking to move all remaining enforcement cases and litigation

to the Department of Justice in light of the agency's dwindling

financial resources, according to four people with knowledge of

the matter.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which said last

week it expects to exhaust remaining funds after December 31,

has pending court cases against companies including credit

bureau Experian ( EXPGF ), but dropped most active enforcement

matters earlier this year.

Spokespeople for the CFPB and Justice Department did not

immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday evening.

The decision was a major step in the Trump administration's

efforts to dismantle the CFPB, which Trump and acting Director

Russell Vought have said should be shut down despite a court

order prohibiting this which remains in effect.

The decision heightened expectations that agency workers

will be furloughed, or go without pay, immediately thereafter.

The agency warned staff of that possibility in September.

It was unclear whether the Justice Department would be

equipped to absorb the CFPB's cases, given heavy staff

departures in recent months.

The CFPB was created following the 2008 financial crash to

police consumer industries which produced many of the toxic

assets that underpinned the crisis and is the only federal

agency empowered to enforce consumer financial laws at the

federal level. It has returned more than $21 billion to harmed

consumers.

Since its creation in 2011, the CFPB has faced relentless

legal and political attacks from industry and Republicans who

accused the agency of acting illegally, exceeding its legal

authorities and needlessly burdening free enterprise. Though

challenged in court, the Trump administration's actions this

year are the closest yet to eliminating the agency.

Democrats have assailed the action as a giveaway to

predatory actors that will leave the public vulnerable to scams,

fraud and unfair practices.

"This is Russ Vought's latest illegal power grab in his

ongoing plan to shut down the CFPB and protect CEOs instead of

consumers," Cat Farman, president of the CFPB's worker union,

said in a statement, accusing Vought of illegally refusing to

fund the agency and calling on Congress to remove him from

office.