We have previously blogged about reports that Mick Mulvaney, President Trump’s designee as CFPB Acting Director, has put a 30-day freeze on all regulatory action, CFPB hiring, and new enforcement cases. We also blogged about the CFPB’s withdrawal of its opposition to a motion filed by the defendants in an enforcement action to stay execution of a $7.9 million judgment obtained by the CFPB without posting a bond.
Mr. Mulvaney is reported to have also taken the following recent actions:
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Placing a freeze on the CFPB’s collection of any personally identifiable information, such as individual loan level data, until the CFPB improves its data security systems. The Office of Inspector General for the CFPB issued two reports earlier this year (which we blogged about here and here) in which it found deficiencies in the CFPB’s data security practices.
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Approving payments out of the civil penalty fund. (Since Mr. Mulvaney is reported to have placed a 30-day freeze on such payments, presumably the approved payments represent an exception.)
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Directing CFPB staff to examine all investigations and litigation. It has been reported that Mr. Mulvaney has suspended the CFPB’s investigation of a company that has challenged the CFPB’s constitutionality and authority to issue a civil investigative demand to the company pending a ruling by the federal district court hearing the company’s challenge.
It has also been reported that Mr. Mulvaney has voiced support for Congressional efforts to override the CFPB’s final payday loan rule. We recently blogged about the introduction of a joint resolution under the Congressional Review Act to override the rule by a bipartisan group of lawmakers.
With regard to Leandra English, who was appointed CFPB Deputy Director by Richard Cordray before his resignation as CFPB Director and is challenging Mr. Mulvaney’s right to serve as Acting Director, Mr. Mulvaney is reported to have indicated that he has no plans to dismiss Ms. English but has sent her several emails either instructing her to stop holding herself out as Acting Director or asking her to perform duties that fall within her purview as Deputy Director.
