Travis Plunkett

On Its First Birthday, Consumer Bureau Flexes Its Muscle

One year after the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau began operating as an independent agency, Director Richard Cordray says it has achieved one of its chief goals: getting Wall Street to pay attention.

Cordray’s Ascent Expands U.S. Consumer Bureau’s Reach to Non-Bank Firms

President Barack Obama’s decision to install Richard Cordray as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau expands the agency’s reach into non-bank firms blamed for helping to spark the 2008 credit crisis.

Banks Woo Top Customers With Cheap Cash From Credit-Card Checks

The four biggest U.S. banks are encouraging their most creditworthy customers to take on more debt, mailing credit-card balance-transfer offers with rates as low as zero percent even as they add fees for other services.

Lawmakers Reach Compromise on Financial Regulation

The U.S. Congress is on pace to deliver a sweeping re-write of Wall Street’s rules to President Barack Obama by July 4, meeting the deadline lawmakers set for themselves.

Obama’s Pick for Consumer Agency Has Record of Fighting Banks

Mark Seifert recalls being impressed when Richard Cordray, then the Ohio state treasurer, walked into the offices of his Cleveland activist group one day in August 2007.

Consumer Finance Watchdog Spurred by Obama Targets Mortgages, Payday Loan

Richard Cordray’s appointment as director of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau moves the new agency nearer to fulfilling its intended role as a one- stop shop for borrower safeguards.

U.S. Consumer Bureau Candidate Warren Courts Bankers

Supporters of Harvard law professor Elizabeth Warren to lead the new consumer financial bureau have picked up endorsements from lawmakers, political websites and newspaper editorials. Their success may depend on whether a quieter campaign Warren has been waging can win over detractors.

Senate Republicans Plan to Block Consumer Bureau While Seeking Changes

U.S. Senate Republicans told President Barack Obama they will block any nominee to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau unless Democrats agree to change the agency’s structure and funding.

Wall Street Banking on Republicans to Push Legislative Goals

Wall Street is preparing for a Republican surge in Congress that could help it block proposed taxes on banks and investments, blunt new financial regulations and regain some of the lobbying firepower it lost during the financial crisis.

Cordray Recess Appointment May Jeopardize Other Obama Banking Nominations

President Barack Obama’s nominees for key positions at the Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Comptroller of the Currency are at risk of becoming collateral damage in an escalating fight between Senate Democrats and Republicans.

"Telling somebody you're going to rob them before you rob them is not okay."

- Travis Plunkett on Jul 18, 2012

Washington

Federal Reserve

Elizabeth Warren

Richard Cordray

Connecticut Train Crash Rips Up Lines, Hampers Rail Traffic

North Korea Test-Fires 3 Missiles as U.S. Sees Further Isolation

Commuter Train Wreck Injures Dozens, Curbs Amtrak Service

Republicans Unsatisfied by IRS Answers Press for More

U.S. Stocks Advance on Leading Indicators, Sentiment Data