December 06, 2011
“The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created to protect consumers, including military families and older Americans, from abusive financial products,” said Chairman Johnson. “The CFPB needs a director, and Richard Cordray is qualified and ready to serve. The new agency is fully accountable, and is already doing some great work starting to simplify disclosures for mortgages and student loans.”
Mr. Cordray is extremely qualified for the position. He clerked for two Supreme Court Justices and worked as an attorney in private practice for many years. Most recently he served as Ohio’s Attorney General and prior to that as Ohio’s Treasurer. He currently serves as the head of the CFPB’s enforcement division. Mr. Cordray has received many bipartisan endorsements including from Ohio business leaders and from Republican elected officials from around the country. In October, the Committee voted to send Mr. Cordray’s nomination to the full Senate with a straight party line vote 12-10.
However, in May, 44 Republican Senators signed a letter to President Obama threatening to block the nomination of any CFPB Director “absent structural changes that will make the Bureau accountable to the American people.”
“The misleading claim of no CFPB accountability - drummed up by special interests and put forth by a vocal minority - should be exposed for what it is: an attempt to destroy the Bureau’s ability to do its job of protecting American consumers. My Republican colleagues have no good reason to block Mr. Cordray’s confirmation, so I hope they do the right thing and vote to protect American families.”
The CFPB like every other regulatory agency is structured with different features that make it accountable to the American people. Each agency has a unique combination that fits its mission and independence. Last year, a bipartisan Congress after much discussion and debate decided on a structure for the CFPB which borrows some accountability features from other regulators, but also includes several new features unique to the consumer agency.
Any changes would also undermine the CFPB’s ability to level the playing field between community banks and credit unions and their nonbank competitors.
Below is a list of many of the CFPB’s accountability features:
• The CFPB Director is subject to confirmation by the Senate.
• The President can remove any CFPB Director “for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office” – similar to the heads of the Federal Reserve, SEC and FTC.
• The Director of the CFPB is required to consult with the prudential and other federal regulators during rulemaking regarding prudential, market, and systemic objectives.
• The CFPB’s budget has a statutory cap – this limit is unique to the Bureau.
• The Financial Stability Oversight Council has the power to review and overturn any CFPB regulation. The CFPB is the only regulator subject to this veto authority. No similar requirement was imposed on the Federal Reserve when it had the authority to write consumer financial protection rules.
• The CFPB is required to consider the impact of proposed rules on banks and credit unions with $10 billion or less in assets, as well as the impact on consumers in rural areas – this requirement is unique to the CFPB.
• When writing rules, the CFPB is required to balance the costs and benefits to consumers and industry, as well as effects on access to financial products.
• The Director is required to appear before Congress biannually and report on, among other things, the CFPB’s budget and all significant rules and orders it has adopted.
• CFPB rules are subject to the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Flexibility Act small business review panel process, which requires the CFPB to review potential rules with affected small businesses prior to the publication of such proposed rules. No other federal financial regulator or independent agency is subject to this process.
• Similar to all regulatory agencies, the CFPB is subject to the Administrative Procedures Act and its final rules are subject to judicial review.
• The CFPB is required to assess significant rules every five years through a report which the public is invited to comment on.
• The GAO is required to audit financial services regulation, which includes the CFPB.
• The Comptroller General is required to annually audit the financial transactions of the Bureau.
• The requirement imposed by the Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Budget Resolution of an annual audit by GAO of the CFPB financial statements.
• The CFPB’s operations and budget is subject to a private sector, independent audit.
• Finally, the CFPB is also held accountable by the Inspector General of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.
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JOHNSON STATEMENT ON SCHEDULED VOTE ON CORDRAY’S NOMINATION TO LEAD THE CFPB
WASHINGTON – Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Johnson (D-SD) released the following statement on today’s announcement that the Senate will vote Thursday to advance the nomination of Richard Cordray to be the first ever Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. On July 18th, President Obama nominated Richard Cordray to be the first Director of the CFPB.“The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created to protect consumers, including military families and older Americans, from abusive financial products,” said Chairman Johnson. “The CFPB needs a director, and Richard Cordray is qualified and ready to serve. The new agency is fully accountable, and is already doing some great work starting to simplify disclosures for mortgages and student loans.”
Mr. Cordray is extremely qualified for the position. He clerked for two Supreme Court Justices and worked as an attorney in private practice for many years. Most recently he served as Ohio’s Attorney General and prior to that as Ohio’s Treasurer. He currently serves as the head of the CFPB’s enforcement division. Mr. Cordray has received many bipartisan endorsements including from Ohio business leaders and from Republican elected officials from around the country. In October, the Committee voted to send Mr. Cordray’s nomination to the full Senate with a straight party line vote 12-10.
However, in May, 44 Republican Senators signed a letter to President Obama threatening to block the nomination of any CFPB Director “absent structural changes that will make the Bureau accountable to the American people.”
“The misleading claim of no CFPB accountability - drummed up by special interests and put forth by a vocal minority - should be exposed for what it is: an attempt to destroy the Bureau’s ability to do its job of protecting American consumers. My Republican colleagues have no good reason to block Mr. Cordray’s confirmation, so I hope they do the right thing and vote to protect American families.”
The CFPB like every other regulatory agency is structured with different features that make it accountable to the American people. Each agency has a unique combination that fits its mission and independence. Last year, a bipartisan Congress after much discussion and debate decided on a structure for the CFPB which borrows some accountability features from other regulators, but also includes several new features unique to the consumer agency.
Any changes would also undermine the CFPB’s ability to level the playing field between community banks and credit unions and their nonbank competitors.
Below is a list of many of the CFPB’s accountability features:
• The CFPB Director is subject to confirmation by the Senate.
• The President can remove any CFPB Director “for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office” – similar to the heads of the Federal Reserve, SEC and FTC.
• The Director of the CFPB is required to consult with the prudential and other federal regulators during rulemaking regarding prudential, market, and systemic objectives.
• The CFPB’s budget has a statutory cap – this limit is unique to the Bureau.
• The Financial Stability Oversight Council has the power to review and overturn any CFPB regulation. The CFPB is the only regulator subject to this veto authority. No similar requirement was imposed on the Federal Reserve when it had the authority to write consumer financial protection rules.
• The CFPB is required to consider the impact of proposed rules on banks and credit unions with $10 billion or less in assets, as well as the impact on consumers in rural areas – this requirement is unique to the CFPB.
• When writing rules, the CFPB is required to balance the costs and benefits to consumers and industry, as well as effects on access to financial products.
• The Director is required to appear before Congress biannually and report on, among other things, the CFPB’s budget and all significant rules and orders it has adopted.
• CFPB rules are subject to the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Flexibility Act small business review panel process, which requires the CFPB to review potential rules with affected small businesses prior to the publication of such proposed rules. No other federal financial regulator or independent agency is subject to this process.
• Similar to all regulatory agencies, the CFPB is subject to the Administrative Procedures Act and its final rules are subject to judicial review.
• The CFPB is required to assess significant rules every five years through a report which the public is invited to comment on.
• The GAO is required to audit financial services regulation, which includes the CFPB.
• The Comptroller General is required to annually audit the financial transactions of the Bureau.
• The requirement imposed by the Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Budget Resolution of an annual audit by GAO of the CFPB financial statements.
• The CFPB’s operations and budget is subject to a private sector, independent audit.
• Finally, the CFPB is also held accountable by the Inspector General of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.
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