The Federal Financial Forum

From: Real Clear Markets

By Hester Peirce

Washington, D.C., is in the midst of a regulatory reform quilting bee. Several different parties are gathering up regulatory reform ideas for potential inclusion in a reworked financial regulatory framework. The end result could be hideous, or it could be an elegant, effective, and efficient amalgamation of these disparate regulatory efforts. The key to getting the latter result is ensuring that each included contribution furthers our collective desire to see a stronger, safer financial system that serves the needs of individuals and businesses.

From: insideARM

Written by: Stephanie Eidelman

Today CFPB Director Richard Cordray announced that the Bureau will be separating the “right consumer, right amount” aspect of its debt collection rulemaking in order to ensure that complexities are properly addressed by intertwining rules for both creditors and their clients.

At its summer meeting of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) Consumer Advisory Board, Director Cordray’s opening remarks addressed multiple topics, including:

1. Transparancy in the credit card market
2. CFPB research into credit invisibility
3. The CFPB’s mandate to collect data on the availability of credit to small business

From: Reuters

New Jersey insurance regulators are conducting a comprehensive exam of Prudential Financial Inc (PRU.N) as part of a new type of state supervisory role over the company, a Prudential executive said in a presentation to investors on Tuesday.

The state is in the midst of the regulatory exam, launched as part of New Jersey’s role as the company’s “group supervisor,” a new type of authority for the state, which in recent years has been working in tandem with U.S. federal regulators who oversee a handful of large insurance companies, including Prudential.

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From: Reason.com

The CFPB is fighting a three-front war against Congress, the Trump administration, and in the courts to maintain its unaccountable status.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s days as the federal government’s most uniquely unaccountable regulatory agency might be numbered.

The CFPB, a product of the Dodd-Frank financial regulation package passed in the wake of the 2009 financial collapse, has broad authority to regulate American financial institutions. Unlike other federal regulatory agencies, however, the CFPB does not have to answer to Congress or the president for its actions. It gets its funding directly from the Federal Reserve, and is run by a single director (an unusual arrangement since most regulatory agencies are run by a bipartisan group of three or five individuals) who serves a 10–year term and cannot be removed from office before that time.