CFPB Blog: On Our Way

Exceprt from The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Blog

August 3, 2011

Written by Holly Petraeus

Last time, we talked about the mission of the Office of Servicemember Affairs. Now I’d like to tell you a little about the work the Office of Servicemember Affairs is doing. We’ve assembled a great team of professionals with a whole lot of military experience, and the CFPB is going to hear from us about the financial issues that impact military families. We’re sharing stories from military families within the CFPB and with other government agencies who work with us to address the issues that need to be fixed. We’ve also made sure that the CFPB’s Consumer Response Center is ready for military-specific questions. And they are ready to flag complaints that are coming in from military or veterans’ families.

This internal work at the CFPB is one part of what we do. The other part is getting outside to listen, coordinate, and educate.

Listening and Learning
One of the most important things we do is listen to and learn from you. We’ve already traveled to a bunch of military installations for town halls and listening tours: Lackland AFB, TX (Joint Base San Antonio); Naval Base San Diego, CA; Walter Reed Army Medical Center; Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, VA; Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, VA; the Army Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, VA; Fort Bragg, NC; Naval Station Great Lakes, IL; and Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, CA. And there are more visits in the pipeline!

We’ve also met with the Adjutants General and their National Guard troops and families in Oklahoma, Ohio, and Illinois. We’ve met with a number of the state Attorneys General who are interested in military issues. And just a few weeks ago we signed a Joint Statement of Principles with the Judge Advocates General (JAG) of the United States Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. This partnership between the CFPB and the JAGs will allow us to hear about problems and address unlawful acts and practices happening to military personnel. Establishing and maintaining these channels of communications is extremely important to our forward progress.

Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs
We’ve already met with senior DoD officials, including the JAGs, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy, and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy. We will continue to work closely with the Pentagon as we plan our future activities.

We’ve also met with the Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). I’m excited to report that the VA has offered the assistance of their Loan Guaranty technicians for any servicemember or veteran who comes to us with difficulty paying their home mortgage. The VA will offer this assistance even if the mortgage is not a VA-guaranteed home loan. (continued…)