The ill will between Democrats and Republicans in the controversy over appointing an acting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau chief adds a new wrinkle to bipartisan efforts to pass regulatory relief.

The former heads of the House and Senate banking committees argued Thursday that the Dodd-Frank Act clearly intended to allow the CFPB's deputy director to serve as acting director after the full-time head of the agency departed.

With leadership of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau resolved by a federal court, the banking industry is eager to find out what interim head Mick Mulvaney plans to do once he gets a handle on the agency, including whether he will delay pending new mortgage rules.

Richard Cordray took a big gamble in his final act as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, attempting to appoint his own interim successor. He lost Tuesday, but he was far from the only one.

District Judge Timothy J. Kelly ruled Tuesday that Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney was the legal interim head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, denying a request by Deputy Director Leandra English to block the appointment.

Employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are privately questioning why outgoing director Richard Cordray abruptly tapped a 34-year-old chief of staff with no enforcement, supervisory or legal experience to head the embattled agency after he resigned.

OMB Director Mick Mulvaney said he would "fix" the CFPB by ensuring it protected consumers without cutting off access to financial services. His comments came as a federal judge declined to rule yet on the legality of Mulvaney's appointment.

Leadership at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is expected to be resolved quickly after a federal court Monday assigned a judge appointed by President Trump to resolve a lawsuit over who will become the agency's acting director.

President Trump has tapped Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney as interim head of the CFPB. He has taken tough stances on the CFPB, its payday lending rule, housing finance reform and other issues pending before the agency.

CFPB Deputy Director Leandra English filed a lawsuit late Sunday against the Trump administration challenging OMB Director Mick Mulvaney's appointment. The bureau's general counsel has sided with President Trump, however.

The Trump administration insisted Saturday that OMB Director Mick Mulvaney was the rightful interim leader of the CFPB, but Democrats said that the appointment was illegal. It remains unclear who is legally in charge.

CFPB Director Richard Cordray abruptly announced Friday that he would leave at the end of the day, giving the reins of the agency to a new deputy director.

The outcome of a case testing the president's power to fire a CFPB director will come too late to impact Richard Cordray, but may affect President Trump's interim and final picks to lead the agency.

A week before he is due to resign, CFPB Director Richard Cordray sent a letter to 29 CEOs at banks, credit unions and other financial companies, urging them to help consumers exert more control over credit cards, debit cards and other payment methods.

A new Republican director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is likely to take immediate action to change certain rules, including the "qualified mortgage" and payday rules, while curbing pending enforcement actions that are considered too harsh on financial firms.

It’s a seat the Trump administration has long wanted vacated, and now it gets a chance to fill it — and change the direction of an agency that’s been a thorn in Republicans’ side. Following are the top candidates.

The resignation of CFPB Director Richard Cordray gives President Trump the chance to name a director who could roll back agency rules and supervisory policies.

The announcement by the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ends months of speculation about how long he planned to stay at the agency.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is seeking more information about consumers' experience with free access to credit scores.

If CFPB Director Richard Cordray does not leave soon — as has been widely expected — it may be that he has used rumors of his possible political aspirations to successfully keep Trump from firing him.