The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (“CFPB”) Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (“OMWI”) has released guidance and recommendations for small, midsize, and large organizations to demonstrate their commitment to diversity and inclusion (“D&I”), taking size and resources into account. The guidance and recommendations are contained in a Report on Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) within Financial
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NY Department of Financial Services announces initiative to collect and publish diversity data
To further its ongoing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) announced an initiative to collect and publish diversity data on the demographic makeup of NY-regulated financial institution’s boards and senior management teams. In its July 29th business industry letter, DFS emphasized that transparency around…
House Financial Services Committee to mark-up bills dealing with debt collection, diversity and inclusion
Tomorrow, April 20, the House Financial Services Committee is scheduled to mark-up a series of bills that include a bill dealing with debt collection and two bills dealing with the diversity and inclusion practices of banks and other federally-regulated entities.
Debt collection. H.R. 2547, the “Comprehensive Debt Collection Improvement Act,” includes the following provisions:…
FDIC Encourages Participation with the Financial Institution Diversity Self-Assessment
On March 15, 2021, the FDIC’s Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI) released a Financial Institution Letter regarding diversity self-assessments. In accordance with Section 342 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, the FDIC is calling on its supervised institutions with 100 or more employees to submit voluntary self-assessments…
Our new diversity fellowship program
I am truly excited to announce a new program that our Consumer Financial Services Group is launching this year, which is aimed at increasing the number of diverse lawyers – lawyers who have overcome one or more substantial obstacles in pursuing a legal career, come from a disadvantaged background, and/or are under-represented in the legal…
House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Waters sends letter to President-elect Biden with recommended rule rescissions and other actions
Earlier this month, House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters sent a letter to President-elect Joe Biden recommending various actions that the Biden Administration should take in the financial services arena. Chairman Waters and members of her staff are expected to have a strong voice in shaping the Biden Administration’s approach to financial services regulatory…
FDIC Requests Submission of 2019 D&I Self-Assessments through a New and Improved Application
On March 23, 2020, the FDIC’s Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI) announced that it will request 2019 diversity self-assessments from FDIC-regulated financial institutions. The FDIC regulates insured state banks that are not members of the Federal Reserve System and insured state thrifts. This year’s self-assessment application is presented on a new automated platform…
House Financial Services Committee finds megabanks need to improve their diversity
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…
This week’s podcast: diversity and inclusion: an update for financial institutions
In this week’s podcast, we review the four key focus areas of the 2015 diversity and inclusion standards adopted by the Offices of Minority and Women Inclusion at the CFPB and other federal financial regulators, identify issues regulated entities should consider in addressing those areas and deciding whether to conduct D&I self-assessments, and discuss the…
CFPB sends letters inviting submission of diversity and inclusion self-assessments
We recently learned that several clients have received letters from the CFPB’s Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI) indicating that the Bureau will be inviting them to submit a self-assessment of their diversity and inclusion (D&I) policies and practices and requesting contact information for the individuals leading their D&I efforts.
The letters reference the…