People

The uproar over the incendiary writings of a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau official have led to calls for his removal, but the agency’s interim chief says he won’t “let any outside group dictate who works here.”

JPMorgan Chase is eliminating 400 positions in its mortgage banking unit, the latest lender to trim staff as a result of lower-than-expected demand in 2018.

Hiring by nonbank mortgage lenders and brokers reversed course again and got slightly higher in August as originators made a last-ditch effort to reach seasonal homebuyers before fall.

Mortgage industry hiring and new job appointments for the week ending Oct. 5.

As the housing market enters a new era, shifts in the demand for mortgages will ultimately dictate the direction of technology, staffing and GSE reform.

Movement Mortgage, citing the continuing deterioration of the housing market, is eliminating approximately 180 back office positions on Oct. 5.

Senate Democrats on Wednesday called for acting CFPB Director Mick Mulvaney to reveal the vetting process that led to the hiring of a political appointee whose past incendiary writings have caused an uproar at the agency.

Shannon McGahn will depart the House committee next week and will join the National Association of Realtors as senior vice president of government affairs.

The head of the National Treasury Employees Union said the appointment of Eric Blankenstein to a senior role “reflects poorly on CFPB management.”

Eric Blankenstein, a political appointee overseeing fair-lending policy at the agency, said in an email to staff that his blog posts from 14 years ago that used a racial epithet “reflected poor judgment.”