Brian D. Pedrow

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Following hearings this past spring, Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chair of the House Financial Services Committee, released a statement that the Committee finds more work is needed to improve diversity at megabanks.  The statement, released on August 13, included data gathered from eight of the nation’s largest banks in response to letters to those institutions from Chairwoman Waters and Representative Joyce Beatty (D-OH).… Continue Reading

One of the first actions taken by Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters upon becoming Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee was to announce the creation of a new Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion (D&I).

According to Politico, the new subcommittee held its inaugural hearing earlier this week at which the focus was a review of diversity trends in the finance industry, specifically a GAO report that found the representation of African-Americans and women in management roles had lagged in recent years. … Continue Reading

The CFPB’s Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI) has issued its annual report to Congress covering the OMWI’s activities in FY 2016.  The Dodd-Frank Act required the CFPB and various other federal agencies, including the Fed, OCC, FDIC, NCUA, and SEC, to establish an OMWI, and also requires each OMWI to submit an annual report to Congress.… Continue Reading

Women in the real estate financing sector have a new opportunity to connect with others in their field and to access and exchange information about the industry.  On October 18, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) announced the launch of mPower, a professional networking platform that aims to create “a strong, diverse network of women” in the real estate financial industry. … Continue Reading

Members of Ballard Spahr’s Consumer Financial Services group recently participated in the American Bar Association Business Law Section Annual Meeting held in Boston, Massachusetts.  On September 8, Ballard partner, Dee Spagnuolo, joined Director Stuart Ishimaru of the CFPB’s Office of Minority and Women Inclusion, and other industry leaders for a panel discussion entitled, “Diversity and Dodd-Frank Section 342.”… Continue Reading

On June 29, 2016, BancorpSouth Bank announced a proposed settlement and consent order with the CFPB and the U.S. Department of Justice of charges that the bank’s mortgage lending practices violated the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and Fair Housing Act by redlining majority-minority neighborhoods in the Memphis MSA and illegally discriminating against African Americans in the underwriting and pricing of certain mortgage loans. … Continue Reading

In a notice to be published in tomorrow’s Federal Register, the CFPB, OCC, Fed, FDIC, SEC, and NCUA announce that the Office of Management and Budget has approved the “information collection” contained in their “Final Interagency Policy Statement Establishing Joint Standards for Assessing the Diversity Policies and Practices of Entities Regulated by the Agencies.” … Continue Reading

Just days after the release of the final diversity standards under Section 342 of the Dodd-Frank Act, several prominent lawmakers and business leaders have criticized the new standards for not going far enough to promote diversity and inclusion within the financial services industry.  The standards were issued jointly on June 9 by six federal agencies—the Federal Reserve Board, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.,… Continue Reading

Last week, the Office of Inspector General published its findings following an audit assessing the CFPB’s human resources-related operations and other efforts for equal employment.  The audit, which was conducted in response to a congressional request for information on the CFPB’s activities related to diversity and inclusion (D&I), analyzed the CFPB’s efforts to ensure equal opportunities for minorities and women to obtain senior management positions and to increase racial, ethnic, and gender diversity in the workforce. … Continue Reading