The CFPB has announced that it plans to host its first “Research on Consumer Finance” conference in Washington, D.C. on May 7-8, 2015.

The announcement includes a call for research papers to be submitted by January 16, 2015.  The CFPB seeks complete papers or detailed abstracts that include preliminary results dealing with “the ways consumers and households make decisions about borrowing, saving, and financial risk-taking; how various forms of credit (mortgage, student loans, credit cards, installment loans etc.) affect household well-being; the structure and functioning of consumer financial markets; distinct and underserved populations; and relevant innovations in modeling or data.”

According to the CFPB, the conference is intended “to connect researchers and policymakers with the best research being conducted across the wide range of disciplines and approaches that can inform the topic. Disciplines from which we hope to receive submissions include, but are not limited to, economics, the behavioral sciences, cognitive science, and psychology.”

The announcement also includes a list of 15 academics who have been named to the conference’s “scientific committee.”  Given that the CFPB already has an Academic Research Council, it’s unclear why the CFPB needs yet another committee of academics.