SEPTEMBER 2013 – SEPTEMBER 2014

Annual report of 

the Consumer 

Advisory Board
1 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CONSUMER ADVISORY BOARD, 2014

Letter to the Director from 

Consumer Advisory Board

Chair and Vice Chair 

Richard Cordray, Director 

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 

Washington, D.C. 

Dear Director Cordray, 

On behalf of the Consumer Advisory Board (CAB or Board), we are honored to present 

our annual report, which details the activities and progress made over this last fiscal year. 

During this year, the CAB continued to focus on ensuring that the Bureau had the benefit 

of our best advice on a variety of consumer financial issues and emerging market trends 

as it carries out its mission to protect consumers and make consumer financial markets 

work for consumers in America. We have also continued to have engagements in the 

field where American consumers live and work, and this has added value to our work. In 

September of 2013, we traveled through the Mississippi Delta to Itta Bena, Mississippi 

and saw clearly the effects of predatory lending in rural and low-income communities. In 

June of 2014, we visited Reno, Nevada and observed and discussed the challenges that 

still exist in the mortgage market. 

The CAB again this year worked through its committees: Cards, Payments and Deposit 

Markets, Consumer Lending, and Mortgages. Through these committees, the CAB has 

continued to engage meaningfully with Bureau staff through in-person meetings and 

conference calls, providing our collective and individual perspectives on the ongoing 

work of the CFPB. Our committees focused on identifying key observations and 

principles for regulation on a variety of topics, including digital and mobile payments, 

prepaid cards, payday lending, student lending, mortgage origination, and servicing. 

This annual report provides greater detail about these committee discussions, as the larger

CAB’s discussions were open to the public and are reflected in summaries posted to 

consumerfinance.gov. 

We thank you for the opportunity to serve consumers through our work on the CAB. 

We look forward to what next year brings and to continuing to fulfill our shared mission 

of protecting consumers in the financial marketplace. 

Sincerely, 

__________________________ 

José A. Quiñonez, outgoing Chair William J. Bynum, Vice Chair
2 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CONSUMER ADVISORY BOARD, 2014

Table of Contents

Letter to the Director...................................................................................................1

Executive Summary......................................................................................................3

Role of the Consumer Advisory Board .....................................................................5

APPENDIX A........................................................................................................... 11

 Consumer Advisory Board Biographies......................................................... 11

APPENDIX B ........................................................................................................... 15

 Consumer Advisory Board Written Statements............................................ 15
3 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CONSUMER ADVISORY BOARD, 2014

Executive Summary

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) is the nation’s first federal 

agency focused solely on consumer financial protection.1The Dodd-Frank Wall Street 

Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) created the CFPB to protect 

consumers of financial products and services and to encourage the fair and competitive 

operation of consumer financial markets. The Bureau’s mission is to help consumer 

finance markets work by making rules more effective, by consistently and fairly enforcing 

those rules, and by empowering consumers to take more control over their economic 

lives.

The CFPB’s Consumer Advisory Board is authorized by §1014(a) of the Dodd-Frank Act. 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Consumer Advisory Board (CAB or Board) 

was chartered and established in September 2012. The statutory purpose of the CAB is 

“to advise and consult with the Bureau in the exercise of its functions under the Federal 

consumer financial laws, and to provide information on emerging practices in the 

consumer financial products or services industry, including regional trends, concerns, and 

other relevant information.”

2

In fulfillment of its responsibility as articulated in Section 9 of the CAB Charter and of 

the CAB’s commitment to accountability, the CFPB’s Consumer Advisory Board is 

pleased to present its Annual Report to the Director. This report primarily summarizes 

the activities and progress of the Board’s committee meetings held over the last fiscal year, 

September 2013 to September 2014. The discussion portion of the report is divided into 

sections aligned with the CAB’s statutory responsibilities, and the report also includes, in 

Appendix B, separate written statements submitted by Board members relating to the 

report. 

In this last fiscal year, the Consumer Advisory Board:

 Held three meetings – September 2013 in Itta Bena, MS, February 2014 in 

Washington, DC, and June 2014 in Reno, NV.

 

1 Previously, seven different federal agencies were responsible for rulemaking, supervision, and enforcement 

relating to consumer financial protection. The agencies which previously administered statutes transferred to 

the Bureau are the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve, Federal Reserve 

Board, or Federal Reserve Board System), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Federal 

Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), National Credit Union 

Administration (NCUA), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), and Office of Thrift Supervision 

(OTS). 

2 Dodd-Frank Act, Pub. L. No. 111-203, § 1014(a). 
4 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CONSUMER ADVISORY BOARD, 2014

 Organized three policy committees, which have each met approximately six

times:

o Cards, Payments, and Deposits Committee;

o Consumer Lending Committee; and

o Mortgages Committee.

 Examined and discussed a variety of topics and issues including:

o Access to Credit, Information and Financial Resources;

o Trends and Themes in Financial Services;

o Home Mortgage Disclosure Act Database and Rulemaking;

o Approach to Disclosures;

o Your Money Your Goals financial coaching tool;

o FOIA and Ethics Review;

o Managing Consumer Credit;

o Approaches to Regulation;

o Protecting Consumer Credit Profiles;

o Debt Collection; and

o Consumer Response.

Detailed summaries of the above topics discussed during full Board meetings can be 

found at consumerfinance.gov/advisorygroups.

Participants at the Consumer Advisory Board meeting in Reno, NV.

This report fulfills the Consumer Advisory Board charter requirement to submit an 

annual report to the Director.
5 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CONSUMER ADVISORY BOARD, 2014

Role of the Consumer 

Advisory Board 

Section 1014(a) of the Dodd-Frank Act states: 

The Director shall establish a Consumer Advisory Board to advise and consult with the Bureau in the 

exercise of its functions under the Federal consumer financial laws, and to provide information on emerging 

practices in the consumer financial products or services industry, including regional trends, concerns, and 

other relevant information.3

The Consumer Advisory Board provides external feedback on a range of topics, including 

consumer engagement, policy development, and research, from a range of external 

stakeholders including academics, industry participants, community members, and 

consumer advocates. The CAB consults on a variety of cross-cutting topics, reports on 

meetings, and provides minutes and/or summaries of their meetings. Members of the 

Bureau’s Board serve for limited, specified terms. 

CONSUMER ADVISORY BOARD COMMITTEES

Based on the success of the 2013 CAB Committees, the CAB again organized committees 

as authorized by section 7 of its charter, which allows the Board to establish and dissolve 

committees in consultation with the Bureau. As provided in the charter, committees 

report to the Board (not directly to the Bureau) and may include participants who are

members of the Board and/or staff of the Bureau. Committees may, from time to time, 

call on individuals who are not members of the Board or staff of the Bureau, for the sole 

purpose of providing specific domain expertise and knowledge.

The charter directs that each committee will be led by a committee Chairperson who shall 

be appointed and may be removed by the Chairperson of the Board. Meetings of the 

Board’s committees will be called by the committee Chairperson and shall be conducted 

via teleconference unless the Bureau’s staff and committee Chairperson determine that an 

in-person meeting is necessary.

Following the process outlined in the CAB charter and bylaws, members of like expertise 

and backgrounds are organized into three committees: Card, Payments, and Deposit 

Markets; Consumer Lending; and Mortgages. The schedule of 2014 CAB meetings 

follows below.

 

3 Dodd-Frank Act, Pub. L. No. 111-203, § 1014(a).
6 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CONSUMER ADVISORY BOARD, 2014

Consumer Advisory Board Meetings

[This table includes in-person meetings]

Committee Meeting dates

Cards, Payments, and Deposit Markets February 26, 2014

April 17, 2014

June 18, 2014

July 24, 2014

September 10, 2014

November 20, 2014

Consumer Lending February 26, 2014

April 10, 2014

June 18, 2014

July 17, 2014

September 10, 2014

November 13, 2014

December 4, 2014

Mortgages February 26, 2014

April 3, 2014

June 18, 2014

July 10, 2014

September 10, 2014

November 6, 2014

In January 2014, at the outset of the 2014 committee cycle, each committee chair led a 

process to identify committee priorities, including issues where committee members wish 

to learn more, to identify and highlight trends, and to raise issues with Bureau staff 

members. The 2014 priorities are outlined below.

 Cards, Payments, and Deposit Markets

The Cards, Payments, and Deposit Markets Committee focused on work relating 

to prepaid cards; mandatory arbitration and class action waivers; third party 

payments; financial industry data breaches, credit repair and Europay, 

MasterCard and Visa (EMV) technology; and virtual currencies.
7 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CONSUMER ADVISORY BOARD, 2014

 Consumer Lending

The Consumer Lending Committee focused on work relating to small dollar 

lending, student lending and student loan servicing. 

 Mortgages

The Mortgage Committee focused on work relating to Title XIV mortgage 

reforms as well as the impact of recent CFPB action in the mortgage markets 

more generally. 

Over the course of the year, all of the committees made progress on their agendas. What 

follows are summaries of the 2014 CAB Committees’ work. 

Cards, Payments, and Deposit Markets Committee

In 2014 the Cards, Payments, and Deposit Markets Committee discussed a range of 

topics, including prepaid cards; mandatory arbitration and class action waivers; third party 

payments; financial industry data breaches, credit repair and Europay, MasterCard and 

Visa (EMV) technology; and virtual currencies. The Committee also discussed topics for 

future consideration by the Committee and the CAB. For each topic the Committee 

considered, we have provided a summary below of the underlying consumer concerns, 

suggested research and principles for regulation or further action, and recommendations 

to the CFPB. 

Some of the overarching consumer concerns discussed by the Cards, Payments and

Deposits Committee included consumers’ needs for:

 Clear and concise information about financial products and costs in a manner 

that facilitates comparison shopping and good consumer choices and avoids debt 

traps caused by hidden or confusing fees;

 Protection from harm, including debt traps and loss of funds;

 Multiple options and clear information to obtain effective redress and timely 

correction of errors in the event they are harmed by financial products or 

practices;

 At least one transaction product through which consumers cannot spend more 

money than they currently have which this is not to say that every provider must 

offer this option); and

 Guidance on risks, opportunities, and changes due to new technologies in the 

financial services field.

Some overarching principles for regulation discussed by the Cards, Payments and 

Deposits Committee included the following:

 The CFPB should continue to conduct research and collect complaints to inform

both the public and the Bureau’s evidence-based rule-making, supervision, and 

enforcement; and

 The CFPB should balance regulation and consumer protections with fostering of 

good innovation offering significant value without significant risk. 
8 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CONSUMER ADVISORY BOARD, 2014

The Cards, Payments and Deposits Committee suggests that the CFPB consider the 

following topics for CAB public meetings:

 Prepaid cards;

 Mobile banking, payments, wallets; and

 Data security

Other possible topics for Cards, Payments and Deposits Committee consideration could 

include:

 The potential impact of information collection on fairness and access in cards 

and payments; and

 Fair lending analysis affecting cards, including disparate impact concerns and 

analysis.

Consumer Lending Committee

This year, the CAB’s Consumer Lending Committee focused on two issues within the 

CFPB’s purview: small dollar lending and student loans. Prior to the June 2014 CAB 

meeting, the Committee met with individuals knowledgeable about small loan issues, 

including Bureau staff and external experts4. Robust committee discussions led to an 

outline of principles and considerations, which were presented and discussed during the 

Consumer Lending Committee session of the June 2014 CAB meeting. Details of this 

discussion are outlined in the June 2014 meeting summary. A highlight of the principles 

and considerations on this issue included:

 Much small dollar lending involves a segment of borrowers who use the product 

in a way that creates a substantial risk of financial distress in repaying the loan. In 

the context of the well-known two week payday loan, this means borrowers who 

obtain repeated “roll-over” loans form the essential customer base for payday 

lending creditors. With these or other high-cost small-dollar lending products, 

these borrowers may default on either the small dollar loan or on other 

obligations for which creditors do not have the same access to the borrower’s 

accounts as the small dollar lender.

Since June of this year, the committee has focused on student loans. Experts in the 

student lending and servicing field have briefed the committee during this time.5 

Mortgages Committee

 

4 External experts on small dollar lending with whom the CAB’s Consumer Lending Committee met include: 

Maura Dundon, Center for Responsible Lending; Mike Calhoun, Center for Responsible Lending; Nick 

Bourke, The Pew Charitable Trusts; and, David Rothstein, Neighborhood House. 

5 External experts on student loans with whom the CAB’s Consumer Lending Committee met include: 

Deanne Loonin of the National Consumer Law Center; Joseph Mais of the Institute for College Access and 

Success; Chris Hicks from Jobs with Justice; and Joe DePaulo, formerly with Sallie Mae's private lending 

operations.
9 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CONSUMER ADVISORY BOARD, 2014

This year the CAB’s Mortgages Committee focused on work relating to Title XIV 

mortgage reforms as well as examining the impact of recent CFPB actions on the 

mortgage markets more generally. Although it is too soon to have much definitive 

information on the impact of those actions, the committee discussed a variety of issues, 

which are outlined below. 

 Preliminary observations regarding the implementation of the Title XIV 

mortgage rules:

a. The Ability to Repay (ATR) and Qualified Mortgage (QM) rules 

seem to have created a more even playing field. Prior to the financial 

crisis, competition was primarily product-driven which led to an 

unfortunate “race to the bottom” in terms of credit quality. Today 

competition is primarily driven by price and service quality. This 

allows smaller players to compete more effectively with larger 

companies, with market share beginning to be spread more evenly.

b. The implementation of the QM rule seems to have had little impact 

on the market, but that is primarily due to the agency patch. Without 

the patch, the 43% debt to income ratio would reduce credit access 

to borrowers on the margin. 

i. We may be beginning to see a decline in loans under $100,000, 

even at the Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs)

ii. It is hard to get a good handle on what’s happening at smaller 

banks and credit unions; we’ll get some information from the 

2014 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data, but it 

won’t be definitive, and won’t be out until fall 2015.

iii. Some lenders have expressed confusion about how to best 

implement ATR, particularly in determining income accurately.

c. Lenders do not seem to have consistent interpretations of the 

compensation rules. 

d. Some companies have agents creating their own compensation plans

and give them the option of changing them on a monthly basis. A 

single company can end up with dozens of different plans paid to 

hundreds of agents. 

e. There are a number of changes to the mortgage market occurring 

simultaneously, including capital rule implementation, servicing rule 

implementation, and attempts to get full usage of the credit box by 

Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Federal Housing 

Finance Agency (FHFA), which make it difficult to assess the impact 

of the ATR and QM rules in isolation from other changes.

f. The cost to originate a loan is increasing, which may make smaller 

loans more expensive (and might put additional pressure on the QM 

rules) or make lenders not inclined to originate them at all.

g. More lenders are holding loans on their balance sheets. A recent 

survey indicates that approximately 15% of mortgages are currently 

being held on balance sheets. It is not clear what is driving this trend 

but it appears to correspond with the implementation of the 

mortgage rules. 

 Title XIV mortgage rules -- issues for potential consideration:

a. Consider developing an opportunity for lenders to consider 

compensating factors for loans with debt to income ratios above 43%. 
10 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CONSUMER ADVISORY BOARD, 2014

b. Explore or consider providing guidance on alternate ways to evaluate 

income. Forty-three percent Debt to Income (DTI) might be fine if 

income is accurately assessed and non-traditional forms of income are 

recognized. 

c. Consider requiring lenders to post their rates on a regional or statewide 

basis to further reduce pricing abuses. 

d. Consider some additional flexibility on points and fees for small loans.

e. Consider some additional flexibility on compensation rules for bond 

loans and jumbo loans.

 Potential areas of concern for consideration moving forward: 

a. Marketing fees and kickbacks paid by lenders to builders, real estate 

agents, and brokers. 

b. Servicing of distressed loans, such as loan modifications, remains 

suboptimal and problems may accelerate in judicial states. Many servicers 

do not have the required capabilities or commitment to adequately 

manage their servicing portfolios. 

c. Non-QM lending especially to people 55 and older, in part because of 

the emphasis in QM on income rather than assets.

d. The servicer data systems are problematic with little improvement 

observed in the last several years. This is still creating substantial 

problems, including their effects on distressed loans and with borrowers 

who are entitled to receive settlement money. 

CONCLUSION

In closing, in its second year, the Consumer Advisory Board has continued to provide 

opportunities to share advice, expertise, and technical information to the Bureau and its 

staff. CAB committee members would like to thank the Consumer Financial Protection 

Bureau for the chance to help further the Bureau’s mission of helping to make markets 

for consumer financial products and services work for Americans. This joint report and 

attached individual remarks are presented in the spirit of cooperation and collaboration. 
11 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CONSUMER ADVISORY BOARD, 2014

APPENDIX A

CONSUMER ADVISORY BOARD BIOGRAPHIES6

Chairperson Jose Quinonez has been the executive director of the Mission Asset Fund 

in San Francisco California since 2007. Mr. Quiñonez’s previous positions include: Policy 

Director for the Asset Policy Initiative of California (San Francisco), California Outreach 

Director for the Center for Responsible Lending (Oakland). He also worked in 

Washington, DC, at the Center for Community Change, Bread for the World, and on 

Capitol Hill. 

Vice Chairperson Bill Bynum is currently the CEO of Hope Enterprise

Corporation/Hope Federal Credit Union in Jackson, MS, a position that he has held since 

1994. Previously, Mr. Bynum has held positions as director of programs for the NC Rural 

Economic Development Center in Raleigh, NC and the associate director of Self-Help in 

Durham, NC. From 2002-2012, he served as chairman of the Treasury Department’s 

Community Development Advisory Board. 

Gary Acosta is the co-CEO of New Vista and the co-founder of the National 

Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP). Mr. Acosta currently sits 

on the boards of the Mortgage Bankers Association of America and the National Housing 

Conference. He has also served on boards and advisory councils for National Association 

of Realtors, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and JP Morgan Chase. 

Jo Ann Barefoot is the co-chair of Treliant Risk Advisors in Washington, DC. As an 

elected member of the board of directors of Center for Financial Services Innovation 

(CFSI), Ms. Barefoot’s previous positions include: Founder of the Jo Ann Barefoot 

Group, Partner and Managing Director at KPMG Consulting and President and CEO of 

Barefoot Marrinan & Associates during the 1980s and 1990s. In 1978, Ms. Barefoot 

became the first woman deputy comptroller of the currency. Ms. Barefoot and has also 

worked on Capitol Hill for the U.S. Senate Banking Committee’s Subcommittee on 

Housing and Urban Affairs. 

Don Baylor has been a Senior Policy Analyst at the Center for Public Policy Priorities 

since 2004 where he directs Opportunity Texas, a statewide platform to promote savings 

and create pathways to good jobs. Mr. Baylor’s prior positions include serving as 

legislative director for the New York Association of Community Organizations for 

Reform Now (NY ACORN); and senior consultant for KPMG Public Sector Consulting 

Practice in Sacramento, CA. 

Maeve Brown is currently the executive director of the Housing and Economic Rights 

Advocates an organization that she co-founded in 2005. Previously, Ms. Brown has 

served as the Director of Predatory Lending, Section 8 Homeownership and Rural 

Housing Service Foreclosure Avoidance Initiatives at the National Housing Law Project 

 

6 Consumer Advisory Board biographies reflect the membership of the CAB between September 2013 and 

September 2014.
12 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CONSUMER ADVISORY BOARD, 2014

in Oakland, CA., Contract Attorney, Housing Unit; Director, Community Economic 

Development Unit; Director, Housing Unit and Clinical Teacher; and Supervising 

Attorney at the East Bay Community Law Center in Berkeley, CA, and attorney for the 

Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. 

Steve Carlson is the former head of Marketing and Business Development for Mint.com 

and Quicken. Mr. Carlson started his career with marketing and management consulting 

roles at Toyota, CSC Index, and MVP.com. Additionally, Mr. Carlson has held senior 

executive roles at HSBC and Washington Mutual and has also advised start-ups, as well as 

a leading global financial services firm, as the Co-founder and Principal at Sung Carlson 

Associates. Mr. Carlson is a consultant to and advisor to start ups in the financial 

technology space. 

Laura Castro de Cortés is currently vice president of (AFS) at Centris Federal Credit 

Union in Omaha, Nebraska. Ms. Castro de Cortés is also the owner of Latino Banking 

Solutions (LBS), whose clientele has included Wells Fargo Bank, Allied Insurance Group, 

Principal Financial Group, Brotherhood Bank and Trust, Liberty Bank and many more 

banks throughout the Midwest. Prior to launching Latino Banking Solutions, Castro de 

Cortés was Vice President and director of Latino Banking for Commercial Federal Bank, 

a $13.3 billion federal savings bank. 

Elizabeth Costle has been the director, Consumer and State Affairs at the AARP Public 

Policy Institute since 2010. Previously, Ms. Costle’s previous positions include serving as 

Vermont Commissioner of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care 

Administration, Deputy Commissioner for securities and general counsel of that 

Department. Ms. Costle has also worked as a senior consultant for Health Insurance 

Policy in the Office of Policy and Representation at Blue Cross Blue Shield Association; 

assistant general counsel at Fannie Mae; as general attorney at Satellite Business Systems; 

and as an associate at Arnold & Porter. 

Prentiss Cox is currently an associate professor of law at the University of Minnesota 

Law School, where he has taught since 2005. Previously, Mr. Cox served as the manager 

of the Consumer Enforcement Division for the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office as 

well as a Judicial Clerk for the Honorable P.H. Marshall at the United States District 

Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Mr. Cox is the author of a number of 

publications on a range of financial topics, including: fraud, deceptive practices, and 

foreclosures. 

Patricia Hasson has been president of Clarifi for over 13 years. Ms. Hasson’s prior 

experience includes more than 12 years as a banking executive with a diverse consumer 

and commercial lending background. Ms. Hasson served a 3-year term on the Federal 

Reserve Board Consumer Advisory Council. She is a member of the Board of Directors 

for the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and has also served as President of 

the Board for Greensgrow, a pioneering urban farm in Philadelphia. 

Patricia Garcia Duarte currently serves as the president and chief executive officer for 

Neighborhood Housing Services of Phoenix, a position she has held since 2006. 

Previously, she worked as the Arizona Manager for the Community Partnerships Office 

at JPMorgan Chase/Bank One; has held various housing and economic development 

responsibilities with Mercy Housing SouthWest; Neighborhood Housing Services of 

Phoenix; and Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc. 
13 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CONSUMER ADVISORY BOARD, 2014

Adam Levitin is a professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center. 

Previously, Mr. Levitin served as special counsel for the Congressional Oversight Panel 

for the Troubled Asset Relief Program; was the Robert Zinman Scholar in Residence at 

the American Bankruptcy Institute; served on the faculty in the Division of Financial 

Practices Academy at the Federal Trade Commission; was an Associate in the Business 

Finance & Restructure Department at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP in New York, NY; 

and was a judicial clerk for the Honorable Jane R. Roth on the Third Circuit Court of 

Appeals in Wilmington, DE. 

James McCarthy currently serves as the President/CEO of Miami Valley Fair Housing 

Center, Inc. in Dayton, OH, a position he has held since 1998. Previously, he was a 

paralegal for Noel W. Vaughn, Attorney at Law. Since 2006, Mr. McCarthy has served as 

the chair for the National Fair Housing Alliance in Washington, DC and is actively 

involved with the Affordable Housing Options Committee of Montgomery County, OH, 

the Dayton Community Reinvestment Institute, and the Dayton Fund for Home 

Rehabilitation, among others. 

Jennifer Mishory currently serves as the deputy director for Young Invincibles, a 

position she has held since 2009. Ms. Mishory’s prior experience includes testifying before 

Congress about private student loans: authoring publications on topics such as consumer 

awareness about student loan decisions and the impact of student debt on buying a house; 

representing young consumers in numerous capacities, including as a consumer advocacy 

negotiator in the 2012 negotiated rulemaking around federal student loans; and as a 

consumer representative to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. 

William Nelson most recently served as the executive director for USA Cares in 

Kentucky, a position he held since 2008. Previously, Mr. Nelson worked as a military 

family financial planner in New England and Kentucky. In 2002, he was named the 

National District Manager of the Year. Mr. Nelson served on active duty for twenty years 

in the U.S. Navy, retiring in the rank of commander in 1992. 

Michelle Peluso is currently the chief executive officer of Gilt, an innovative online 

shopping destination offering its seven million members special access to the most 

inspiring merchandise and experiences every day at insider prices. Prior to assuming the 

CEO role at Gilt, she served for over three years on the company’s Board of Directors. 

Before joining Gilt, Mrs. Peluso was the global consumer chief marketing and internet 

officer for Citigroup, a position she held from 2009 until early 2013. Previously, she 

worked at Travelocity in a number of positions, as senior vice president of product 

strategy and distribution, chief operating officer, and CEO from 2003 to 2009. Mrs. 

Peluso joined Travelocity after the company acquired the site she created and launched, 

Site59, in 2002. Prior to leading Site59, Mrs. Peluso served as a White House Fellow and 

senior advisor to the Labor Secretary and worked as a case leader for The Boston 

Consulting Group. 

Dory Rand is currently the president of the Woodstock Institute, a position she has held 

since 2008. Previously, she was a supervising attorney of the Community Investment Unit 

at the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law; a senior attorney for the Legal 

Assistance Foundation of Chicago; an associate attorney at Mandel, Lipton & Stevenson; 

and a staff attorney at the ACLU of Illinois. Ms. Rand has extensive experience on boards 

and with professional associations related to banking, housing, home ownership, and 

asset building, among others. 
14 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CONSUMER ADVISORY BOARD, 2014

The Honorable Annette Rizzo was appointed to the Court of Common Pleas bench in 

Philadelphia in 1998. Since that time, she has served in the Trial Division in both the 

Criminal and Civil Programs and now sits in the Civil Major Trial Program. Since the 

spring of 2008, Judge Rizzo has been involved with the development and oversight of the 

First Judicial District’s Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Pilot Program. The 

conferences bring together homeowners, lenders’ counsel, pro bono attorneys and 

housing counselors in an effort to keep city residents in their homes. 

Ellen Seidman most recently served as a visiting scholar in the Community 

Development Department at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Ms. Seidman 

chairs the board of directors of the Center for Financial Services Innovation and she also 

serves on the boards of three Community Development Financial Institutions: City First 

Bank of DC, Coastal Enterprises, Inc. and the Low Income Investment Fund, as well as 

the Board of the CDFI Assessment and Ratings Service (CARS). Ms. Seidman’s prior 

positions include serving as the Executive Vice President for National Policy & 

Partnership Development and for Mission and Strategy for the ShoreBank Corporation; 

Senior Managing Director/National Practice at ShoreBank Advisory Services; Director 

for Financial Services Policy and Senior Research Fellow at the New America 

Foundation; Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) from 1997 to 2001. 

Josh Silverman is currently the president for U.S. Consumer Services at American 

Express, a position he has held since 2011. Previously, he served as: an Executive in 

Residence at Greylock; CEO at Skype; CEO at Shopping.com (an eBay company); a 

managing director at Markplaats.nl; eBay NL at eBay, Inc.; the GM for International 

Expansion at eBay, Inc.; was the co-founder and CEO at Evite, Inc.; was VP and GM for 

Regional Field Service Business at ADAC Laboratories; a Management Consultant at 

Booz Allen Hamilton; and a Legislative Correspondent for US Senator Bill Bradley. 

Robert Stoll is the founder of Stoll Berne, LLC, the law firm for which he was chairman 

from 1977 to 2008. Previously, he was the Oregon Special Assistant Attorney General for 

Securities Litigation. Mr. Stoll formerly ran private law practices and was also a law clerk 

for the Honorable Arno Denecke on the Oregon Supreme Court. 

Donna Tanoue currently serves as Vice Chairman, Client and Community Relations, 

Bank of Hawaii Corporation/ Bank of Hawaii, and President, Bank of Hawaii 

Foundation. Ms. Tanoue previously served as Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance 

Corporation (FDIC). She was a partner in the Hawaii law firm of Goodsill Anderson 

Quinn & Stifel. Ms. Tanoue also served as Commissioner of Financial Institutions for the 

State of Hawaii. 

Jane Thompson is the CEO and Founder of Jane J. Thompson Financial Services LLC, 

a company she founded in 2011. She serves as a senior advisor to the Center for Financial 

Service Innovation. Previously, she was the founder and president of Wal-Mart Financial 

Services, a partner at McKinsey & Company, Inc., and a brand manager at Procter & 

Gamble. 

Jonathan Zinman is a Professor in the Department of Economics at Dartmouth 

College, a position he has held since 2005. He is also the co-founder and academic 

director of the U.S. Household Finance Initiative of Innovations for Poverty Action, a 

nonprofit research and development organization. Previously, Mr. Zinman was an 

economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and a loan fund manager and 

strategy analyst at the Massachusetts Community Development Finance Corporation.
15 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CONSUMER ADVISORY BOARD, 2014

APPENDIX B

CONSUMER ADVISORY BOARD WRITTEN STATEMENTS

The following statements were submitted by CAB members per section 9 (c) of the CAB 

Charter:
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

Twin Cities Campus Law Clinics 190 Mondale Hall

Law School 229-19th Avenue South

Minneapolis, MN 55455

August 29, 2014

Richard Cordray, Director

United States Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

1700 G Street, NW

Washington, D.C. 20552

Dear Director Cordray:

Thank you for the opportunity to serve on the Consumer Advisory Board (CAB) of the 

CFPB and to submit this written statement regarding the progress of the CAB during its 

second year. The CAB started well in its first year, and it has shown great progress as a 

sophomore. 

The strengths of the CAB remain the same. The leadership of Chair Jose Quiñonez and 

Vice Chair William Bynum was superb. They helped build a culture of open and 

respectful communication in a group with diverse membership. As with the initial year, I 

have been amazed by the amount of time and attention that you and Deputy Director 

Steve Antonakes have devoted to our discussions. The CFPB has undertaken an 

ambitious regulatory, supervisory and enforcement agenda, and it has accomplished an 

extraordinary amount in a short time despite being under constant attack. Yet senior 

leadership of the agency has been present for almost every discussion. That is 

remarkable, and appreciated. 

The CAB improved in two important ways this year. First, the function of the 

committees was much better. CFPB staff for the CAB worked with the Committee 

Chairs to reform the structure and process of the committees. The changes worked and 

the committees are producing more useful and focused presentations to the full CAB on 

specific policy matters.

Second, the quality of discussion at CAB meetings improved. In the first year, members 

identified with either a consumer advocacy or industry position were more likely to 

assume default positions on issues. As the group matured, the discussions became more 

reflective. For example, during the February 2014 meeting in Washington, DC, I found 

myself agreeing with Josh Silverman and disagreeing with CFPB on an approach to a 

regulatory issue. As Mr. Silverman rarely share a “default position”, it was a sign of the 

maturity of the Committee’s discussions that we were able to wrestle the issue to a point 

of consensus.
Unfortunately, areas for improvement remain the same. The interaction between CFPB 

staff and the CAB could use some attention. It remains unclear to me that the CAB is 

effectively providing input to the CFPB staff between meetings, or at least input that the 

staff either finds useful or needs to hear. While it is clear that it is often difficult to 

arrange time for staff members to brief and interact with the CAB during the committee 

meetings. 

Again, thank you for the opportunity to be part of the CAB this past year. 

Prentiss Cox

Associate Professor of Law

Co-Director, Law in Practice Program

University of Minnesota Law School 

Minneapolis, Minnesota


2558 36th Street, NW

Washington DC 20007

August 2 O, 2OI4

The Honorable Richard Cordray, Director l

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

1700 G Street, NW

Washington DC

Dear Director Cordray,

It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve on the Consumer Advisory Board (CAB) during its second

year of existence. We were witness to sorne critically important CFPB milestones, including your own

confirmation; the completion, on time, of the mortgage regulations; and major steps toward the

expansionoftheHomeMortgageDisclosureActmandatedbyDoddFrankAct. Yourhighlightingofthe

importance of third parties such as mortgage servicers and credit bureaus in the financial life of

consumers is extremely important. And the Bureau's actions to regulate and supervise non-bank

financial services providers is beginning to level a very unlevel playing field.

ln addition to these Bureau accomplishments, this has been a very productive year for the CAB. ln

particular, the CAB is a group of people who come to their concern about both access by consumers to

the financial products and services they need and protection from harm from very different perspectives

and backgrounds. During this second year, under the able leadership of Jose Quinones and Bill Bynum,

with the support of the CFPB staff (in particular Delicia Hand) and personal attention by CFPB leadership,

including you and Deputy Director Antonakes, we have come together in a manner that encourages

open and honest discussion, often generating the synergies one would hope for from a diverse group of

professiona ls.

I believe that in particular, the CAB has begn helpful in highlighting the opportunities and challenges of

the immense growth of technology in congumer finance. This includes not only mobile banking, but also

multifunctional non-bank products such as prepaid cards, savings and alert strategies enhanced through

social media and other technology, and digital currencies. Technology has, of course, also led to

increased presence of online credit opportunities, some of which challenge the CFPB's jurisdiction. How

the Bureau is able to bring these lenders (as well as others, such as auto dealers) into a unified

regulatory and supervisory system will be a major challenge going forward.

The CAB has also been very productive in helping the Bureau understand the implications of both

financial services practices and potential $ureau actions on the ground. For example, we have discussed

how the mortgage rules are being implemented with respect to widows and other heirs, and how the

remittance rules are likely to play out for a population accessible Iargely through cell phones, but who

tend to change numbers frequently. Our recent discussion about the challenges of accessing the

financial services system, especially after problems arise, and the cost in time, money and anxiety of not

being able to do so, was another example where multiple on-the-ground and professional perspectives

being heard together in discussion (ratherthan in a hearing or comment structure) has hopefully proven

useful to the Bureau.

Going forward this coming year, small dollar credit, mandatory arbitration and debt collection are

critical topics for both the Bureau and the CRg. The CAB should also continue to explore technology
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Once again, thank you very much

do for the American consumer.

Since re ly,

EIlen Seidman