DS News

37 "My thanks to all of the members of the Housing Counseling Federal Advisory Committee for their dedication to helping shape the future direction of HUD's Housing Counseling Program," HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge said. "Now more than ever, HUD-certified housing counselors are fulfilling a critical role in helping homeowners and renters remain in their homes as our country continues to address the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic impacts that resulted." e following new members of the Committee announced will serve three-year terms: » Ibijoke Akinbowale, Director, National Community Reinvestment Coalition Housing Counseling Network » Lawrence Batiste, President, Batiste Premier Realty » Carol Ann Dujanovich, VP and Director of Operations, 1st Nations Reverse Mortgage » Marcia Lewis, Deputy Executive Director – Change Management, Indianapolis Housing Authority » Bill Sevilla, Director, Community Development and Asset Building, Centro Campesino; » Tony Walters, Executive Director, National American Indian Housing Council. » ese newly appointed members are joined by the following Committee members who have been re-appointed for additional three-year terms: » Patricia Arvielo, President and Co- Founder, New American Funding » Paul Yorkis, President, Patriot Real Estate. Committee meetings are open to the public. HUD publishes in the Federal Register the dates of each Committee meeting in advance of each meeting. SENATE CONFIRMS ROHIT CHOPRA AS CFPB HEAD e U.S. Senate, in a tight 50-48 vote, approved the nomination of Rohit Chopra as the new Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Chopra will assume the role of Director from Acting Director Dave Uejio, who was named to his position by President Biden on January 20, 2021. As CFPB Director, Chopra will oversee a $600 million budget and 1,600-member workforce dedicated to protecting consumers from unfair, deceptive, and abusive practices in the financial marketplace. Currently, the CFPB supervises more than 150 depository institutions with assets totaling more than $10 billion. e CFPB also supervises mortgage originators and servicers, and payday lenders, as well as companies from the consumer reporting, consumer debt collection, student loan servicing, international money transfer, and automobile financing financial marketplaces. "ere is no better person to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at this time than Rohit Chopra, who helped establish the foundation for the CFPB in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis," said Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services. "In 2011, he joined the agency and served as the first Student Loan Ombudsman, working tirelessly to protect student borrowers. More recently, as a Commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission, he has fought for consumers against predatory actors and helped to scrutinize anti-competitive industries, like Big Tech." Chopra served as CFPB Assistant Director and was its first Student Loan Ombudsman before he was nominated to serve as Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (F TC) in 2018. During his tenure at the F TC, he pushed for aggressive remedies against lawbreaking companies, especially repeat offenders, and has worked to reverse the F TC's reliance on no-money, no-fault settlements. After the passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Chopra joined the Department of the Treasury to launch the CFPB. He then served as Assistant Director of the CFPB, overseeing the agency's student loan agenda. As the CFPB's Student Loan Ombudsman, Chopra led efforts to spur competition in the student loan financing market, develop new tools for students and student loan borrowers to make smarter decisions, and secure hundreds of millions of dollars in refunds for borrowers victimized by unlawful conduct by loan servicers, debt collectors, and for-profit college chains. Chopra later served as Special Advisor to the Secretary of Education to advance the Department's efforts to improve student loan servicing, reduce unnecessary defaults, and bolster enforcement. He was also a Senior Fellow at the Consumer Federation of America, where he focused on consumer protection issues facing young people and military families, and a Visiting Fellow at the Roosevelt Institute. Chopra is the recipient of multiple awards for his public service and contributions to the field of consumer finance. Prior to entering government, Chopra worked at McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm, where he worked in the financial services, health care, and consumer technology sectors. He holds a B.A. from Harvard University, and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and was the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship. "Congratulations on your confirmation as Director of the @CFPB, Rohit @ ChopraF TC!" said Sen. Elizabeth Warren via Twitter. "I worked closely with Rohit to set up the CFPB and fight for America's students. He is a terrific champion for consumers and will be a fearless leader of the Bureau. Let's get to work!" Rep. Waters added, "At a time when consumers need a strong watchdog, Mr. Chopra will be an advocate for working Movers & Shakers

• Cover