Is The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Out Of Control?

Is The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Out Of Control?

Lender · Salt Lake City, UT · Member since 2012 · 714 posts · 169 votes

The ugly stepchild of Dodd Frank has no limits, according to a recent article posted by MPA Magazine. A Texas Representative, Jeb Hensarling, had this to say about the lack of accountability of the CFPB, “Arguably it is the single most powerful and least accountable Federal agency in the history of our nation.”

The CFPB was created in 2011 under Dodd Frank and it is an independent federal agency that holds primary responsibility for regulating consumer protection with regard to financial products and services. Unfortunately no one under the CFPB, including the omnipotent Director Richard Cordray, has any mortgage-related experience. Essentially this is just a “rogue agency” that’s creating and abolishing new mortgage and financial-related regulations with absolutely no experience in this area.

The CFPB has set out to eliminate mortgage products and services that were created for a reason. The reason is that there are borrowers out there that need them. Even the private money lending industry has been affected by the CFPB. The CFPB has made it impossible for anyone to obtain a private money loan on an owner occupied property. So if a consumer can’t qualify for a bank loan, now they can’t get a private money or hard money loan either!!! Why? Because the CFPB has made it so private money lenders won’t lend on owner occupied properties anymore.

Once again, too much government regulation, particularly by an agency with no mortgage background or experience, is bad, bad, bad. Let’s punish consumers for what the big banks and Wall Street did to them! Ridiculous. Read the entire article from MPA Mag here: http://www.mpamag.com/mortgage/cfpb-a-rogue-agency-with-no-accountability-16242.aspx

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  • Lender · Plano, TX · Member since 2013 · 312 posts · 71 votes
    12y

    The CFPB has done a lot to our industry. I don't expect things to get better. It's a shame because it will be one of the reasons for another crash. The housing market is responsible for a large portion of growth for the US, and if lending has become harder for most Americans, then it will only lead to one outcome.

  • Lender · Salt Lake City, UT · Member since 2012 · 714 posts · 169 votes
    12y

    Thanks Joseph.

  • Lender · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2009 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    12y

    I can think of several government agencies that enjoy little to no real accountability, with even less congressional oversight. Nonetheless, while it’s clear the lending regulation pendulum has swung too far, I do take issue with the premise suggesting a lack of accountability.

    I find it ironic that both your post and the article you cite, arguing there is no accountability, start by referring to CFPB testimony in front of the congressional oversight “committee session to mark up CFPB reform legislation.” (I quote from the article.) Whether they are effective or whether we like the results are yet to be seen. I don’t like the current rules anymore than you (in my case, at the state level), but to suggest there is no accountability is incorrect. Nor do I agree that the CFPB leadership structure should be replaced, as the article advocates.

    I actually like the fact that there is only one belly button, belonging now to Director Richard Cordray, that can be dragged in front of congress to explain the actions of the CFPB. Replacing him by five member committee, with mortgage experience or not, will only enable a nameless, faceless, bureaucracy that can truly manage in anonymity. In my view, we’re be better served by one director with mortgage experience, i.e. not Cordray, instead of a committee.

    The Wall Street/banking/mortgage community cannot be allowed to do what it did again and should be punished -- a different topic. To tar and feather the entire industry, including non-institutional lenders, is also senseless. I know we agree on this. I also understand that this article was from a trade journal. I guess I’m just more hopeful that a middle ground will eventually be found.

    So far, most business purpose private lending has escaped the punitive scrutiny of Dodd-Frank and the CFPB. How long will this last? More importantly, what’s being done to lobby this committee on our behalf and who’s doing it?

    Jeff

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