Chairwoman Waters, Ranking Member McHenry, and distinguished Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to present the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (Bureau’s) most recent Semi-Annual Report to Congress.
Today, I am happy to present the Bureau’s Fall 2019 Semi-Annual Report (April 1, 2019, to September 30, 2019) to Congress and the American people in fulfillment of our statutory responsibility and commitment to accountability and transparency. My testimony is intended to highlight the contents of this Semi-Annual Report (Report).
Since I last appeared before the Committee, I had the pleasure of marking my first year at the Bureau. It is an honor and privilege to serve and protect American consumers. In this last year, the Bureau greatly enhanced consumer protection by more effectively and comprehensively utilizing the agency’s resources to meet our mission. I remain committed to strengthening the Bureau’s ability to use all of the tools provided by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act), and I have established and communicated clear priorities to Bureau staff for our work using the authorities provided by the Dodd-Frank Act to protect consumers.
Through continued, robust engagement with all stakeholders, I remain resolved that the most productive use of Bureau resources is the prevention of harm to consumers in concert with our many partners. Empowering consumers to protect and further their own interests is where our efforts begin. The Bureau’s mission, as you are aware, is to ensure access to fair, transparent, and competitive markets for consumers, and we are committed to executing the mission through:
- Empowering Consumers and Turning Financial Education in Action
- Ensuring Clear Rules of the Road
- Ensuring a Culture of Compliance
- Holding Bad Actors to Account and Deterrence through Enforcement
Preventing harm to consumers, I believe, is the most effective, efficient way to carry out our mission of ensuring consumer access to a fair, transparent and competitive market. To me, prevention of harm comes through helping consumers gather financial know-how, fostering a culture of industry compliance where consumers know their rights and industry knows their responsibilities and limitations, and maintaining a back stop of enforcement.
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