The CFPB defended its constitutionality in an oral argument last week before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, but judges took issue with the for-cause removal provision.

The CFPB should clarify the ability-to-repay liability for non-qualified mortgages, the Milken Institute said in a recent report.

Consumer advocacy groups have urged the CFPB to impose strict limits on debt collection agencies in order to protect consumers from abusive practices.

The CFPB has ordered USAA Federal Savings Bank to pay $15.5 million in restitution and fines to settle claims it neglected consumers’ stop payment requests and reopened accounts without consent. The consent order is the first one under the leadership of Director Kathy Kraninger.

The CFPB lacks a systematic process to prioritize consumer risks and use all of its tools to address them, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a recent report.

Consumer complaints across major categories saw double-digit declines in the fourth quarter, according to a new analysis by Inside the CFPB. [Includes one data chart.]

CFPB Receives Funding for Second Quarter of Fiscal 2019; CFPB Issues 2018 Annual Employee Survey; Mortgage Servicing Rules Apply to Servicers Only: Court Ruling.

In a New Year’s message, Director Kathy Kraninger said the CFPB will “vigorously enforce the law” and encourage market innovation.

Acting Ginnie Mae President Michael Bright handed in his resignation this week, creating yet another vacancy in the Department of Housing and Urban Development hierarchy, and sparking discussions on what his departure might mean for reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Single-family mortgage business at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac slumped in the fourth quarter of 2018 as purchase-mortgage activity faded, according to a new Inside The GSEs analysis of mortgage-backed securities disclosures. [Includes two data charts.]