Mick Mulvaney

The consumer bureau’s interim chief told an industry conference that “regulation by enforcement is done.”

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.”

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.

The senior Democratic lawmaker said the CFPB chief and the Trump administration "are doing everything in their power to roll back consumer protections."

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.”

What started as a single senior official at the CFPB voicing concerns about blog posts written 14 years ago by Eric Blankenstein, a top agency political appointee, is rapidly becoming a rising chorus of discontent.

The head of the agency’s fair-lending office cast doubt on a proposed reorganization of her office and raised concerns about blog posts written years ago by the political appointee overseeing the project.

The bureau's findings and request for information came after acting Director Mick Mulvaney had cited data security as a flaw at the agency.

Though Acting CFPB Director Mick Mulvaney tried unsuccessfully to strip the agency's fair lending office of its enforcement powers earlier this year, he insisted this week that the bureau "is still in the fair lending business."

In its proposed “disclosure sandbox,” the bureau has eased restrictions on firms seeking a safe harbor from liability.

Kathy Kraninger has been tight-lipped about her plans for the consumer bureau, but some point to signs that she could curb the agency's power by reducing staff and other costs.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued an interpretive rule Friday to clarify changes made to the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act that were mandated by President Trump's regulatory relief law.

Several states pledged to compensate for a slowdown in enforcement at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under Mick Mulvaney, but their efforts have been complicated by tight budgets and doubts over whether such initiatives are necessary.

Kraninger, a senior official at the Office of Management and Budget, has been heavily criticized by Democrats on the panel over her ties to the administration's family-separation policy at the border.

A ruling involving a Cleveland law firm casts doubt on CFPB claims that attorneys misrepresent their role to consumers.

An uptick in fines and a new tactic to counter claims about the CFPB’s authority contrast sharply with the agency’s rhetoric.

The nominee to run the consumer bureau endured tough questioning over the administration’s family-separation policy but appeared to weather the barrage.

Just before members were removed from the consumer advisory board last month, acting Director Mick Mulvaney signed an amended charter that would shrink the panel to six members.

Members of the panel and two other advisory boards were all terminated in June and told they could not reapply for their positions.