Law and legal issues

The payments resolve a number of cases that date back to 2011 and were among the largest coordinated U.S. enforcement efforts in the years following the crisis.

After a significant setback this week in the legal bid to unseat Mick Mulvaney as acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, consumer groups are pinning their hopes on a second case they hope will provide a different result.

The CFPB's recent freeze on collecting any personally identifiable information from companies it supervises is slowing investigations and could ultimately cripple the agency's enforcement function — and that may be the point.

Auditing firms cannot be expected to root out evil, or to conduct full forensic investigations.

Sen. Sherrod Brown called on the Trump administration to support the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's enforcement action against PHH Corp., which agreed to a $45 million settlement this week related to foreclosure abuses.

A federal judge ruled PricewaterhouseCoopers was negligent in its audits of Colonial Bank, which failed in 2009 in the midst of the financial crisis, potentially exposing PwC to heavy damages.

If acting CFPB Director Mick Mulvaney ultimately prevails in the lawsuit challenging his position, he is expected to continue implementing the most significant changes to the agency in its six-year history.

A federal judge appeared to be leaning toward siding with President Trump during oral arguments Friday in a case in which Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Deputy Director Leandra English is challenging the president's ability to appoint Mick Mulvaney as acting director.

The Trump administration and acting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau chief Mick Mulvaney won round one in a legal battle challenging Mulvaney's leadership. His critics will have a tall order trying to win round two.

Past statements by Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau should disqualify him from leading the agency, according to New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and 16 other state AGs.