12 USC 5493 - Administration

View all text of Part A [§ 5491 - § 5499]

§ 5493. Administration

(a) Personnel

(1) Appointment

(A) In general

(B) Employees of the Bureau

(i) In generalIn making any appointment under subparagraph (A), the Director may waive the requirements of chapter 33 of title 5, and the regulations implementing such chapter, to the extent necessary to appoint employees on terms and conditions that are consistent with those set forth in section 11(1) of the Federal Reserve Act (12 U.S.C. 248(1)),1

1 See References in Text note below.

while providing for—(I) fair, credible, and transparent methods of establishing qualification requirements for, recruitment for, and appointments to positions;(II) fair and open competition and equitable treatment in the consideration and selection of individuals to positions;(III) fair, credible, and transparent methods of assigning, reassigning, detailing, transferring, and promoting employees.

(ii) Veterans preferences

(2) CompensationNotwithstanding any otherwise applicable provision of title 5 concerning compensation, including the provisions of chapter 51 and chapter 53, the following provisions shall apply with respect to employees of the Bureau:

(A) The rates of basic pay for all employees of the Bureau may be set and adjusted by the Director.

(B) The Director shall at all times provide compensation (including benefits) to each class of employees that, at a minimum, are comparable to the compensation and benefits then being provided by the Board of Governors for the corresponding class of employees.

(C) All such employees shall be compensated (including benefits) on terms and conditions that are consistent with the terms and conditions set forth in section 248(l) of this title.

(3) Bureau participation in Federal Reserve System Retirement Plan and Federal Reserve System Thrift Plan

(A) Employee electionEmployees appointed to the Bureau may elect to participate in either—

(i) both the Federal Reserve System Retirement Plan and the Federal Reserve System Thrift Plan, under the same terms on which such participation is offered to employees of the Board of Governors who participate in such plans and under the terms and conditions specified under section 5584(i)(1)(C) of this title; or

(ii) the Civil Service Retirement System under chapter 83 of title 5 or the Federal Employees Retirement System under chapter 84 of title 5, if previously covered under one of those Federal employee retirement systems.

(B) Election period

(D) Controlled group status

(4) Labor-management relations

(5) Agency ombudsman

(A) Establishment required

(B) Duties of ombudsmanThe ombudsman appointed in accordance with subparagraph (A) shall—

(i) act as a liaison between the Bureau and any affected person with respect to any problem that such party may have in dealing with the Bureau, resulting from the regulatory activities of the Bureau; and

(ii) assure that safeguards exist to encourage complainants to come forward and preserve confidentiality.

(b) Specific functional units

(1) ResearchThe Director shall establish a unit whose functions shall include researching, analyzing, and reporting on—

(A) developments in markets for consumer financial products or services, including market areas of alternative consumer financial products or services with high growth rates and areas of risk to consumers;

(B) access to fair and affordable credit for traditionally underserved communities;

(C) consumer awareness, understanding, and use of disclosures and communications regarding consumer financial products or services;

(D) consumer awareness and understanding of costs, risks, and benefits of consumer financial products or services;

(E) consumer behavior with respect to consumer financial products or services, including performance on mortgage loans; and

(F) experiences of traditionally underserved consumers, including un-banked and under-banked consumers.

(2) Community affairs

(3) Collecting and tracking complaints

(A) In general

(B) Routing calls to StatesTo the extent practicable, State agencies may receive appropriate complaints from the systems established under subparagraph (A), if—

(i) the State agency system has the functional capacity to receive calls or electronic reports routed by the Bureau systems;

(ii) the State agency has satisfied any conditions of participation in the system that the Bureau may establish, including treatment of personally identifiable information and sharing of information on complaint resolution or related compliance procedures and resources; and

(iii) participation by the State agency includes measures necessary to provide for protection of personally identifiable information that conform to the standards for protection of the confidentiality of personally identifiable information and for data integrity and security that apply to the Federal agencies described in subparagraph (D).

(D) Data sharing required

(1) Establishment

(2) FunctionsThe Office of Fair Lending and Equal Opportunity shall have such powers and duties as the Director may delegate to the Office, including—

(A) providing oversight and enforcement of Federal laws intended to ensure the fair, equitable, and nondiscriminatory access to credit for both individuals and communities that are enforced by the Bureau, including the Equal Credit Opportunity Act [15 U.S.C. 1691 et seq.] and the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act [12 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.];

(B) coordinating fair lending efforts of the Bureau with other Federal agencies and State regulators, as appropriate, to promote consistent, efficient, and effective enforcement of Federal fair lending laws;

(C) working with private industry, fair lending, civil rights, consumer and community advocates on the promotion of fair lending compliance and education; and

(D) providing annual reports to Congress on the efforts of the Bureau to fulfill its fair lending mandate.

(3) Administration of OfficeThere is established the position of Assistant Director of the Bureau for Fair Lending and Equal Opportunity, who—

(A) shall be appointed by the Director; and

(B) shall carry out such duties as the Director may delegate to such Assistant Director.

(d) Office of Financial Education

(1) Establishment

(2) Other dutiesThe Office of Financial Education shall develop and implement a strategy to improve the financial literacy of consumers that includes measurable goals and objectives, in consultation with the Financial Literacy and Education Commission, consistent with the National Strategy for Financial Literacy, through activities including providing opportunities for consumers to access—

(A) financial counseling, including community-based financial counseling, where practicable;

(B) information to assist with the evaluation of credit products and the understanding of credit histories and scores;

(D) activities intended to—

(i) prepare the consumer for educational expenses and the submission of financial aid applications, and other major purchases;

(ii) reduce debt; and

(iii) improve the financial situation of the consumer;

(E) assistance in developing long-term savings strategies; and

(F) wealth building and financial services during the preparation process to claim earned income tax credits and Federal benefits.

(3) CoordinationThe Office of Financial Education shall coordinate with other units within the Bureau in carrying out its functions, including—

(A) working with the Community Affairs Office to implement the strategy to improve financial literacy of consumers; and

(B) working with the research unit established by the Director to conduct research related to consumer financial education and counseling.

(4) ReportNot later than 24 months after the designated transfer date, and annually thereafter, the Director shall submit a report on its financial literacy activities and strategy to improve financial literacy of consumers to—

(A) the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate; and

(B) the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives.

(5), (6) Omitted

(7) Study and report on financial literacy program

(A) In generalThe Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study to identify—

(i) the feasibility of certification of persons providing the programs or performing the activities described in paragraph (2), including recognizing outstanding programs, and developing guidelines and resources for community-based practitioners, including—(I) a potential certification process and standards for certification;(II) appropriate certifying entities;(III) resources required for funding such a process; and(IV) a cost-benefit analysis of such certification;

(ii) technological resources intended to collect, analyze, evaluate, or promote financial literacy and counseling programs;

(iii) effective methods, tools, and strategies intended to educate and empower consumers about personal finance management; and

(iv) recommendations intended to encourage the development of programs that effectively improve financial education outcomes and empower consumers to make better informed financial decisions based on findings.

(B) Report

(e) Office of Service Member Affairs

(1) In generalThe Director shall establish an Office of Service Member Affairs, which shall be responsible for developing and implementing initiatives for service members and their families intended to—

(A) educate and empower service members and their families to make better informed decisions regarding consumer financial products and services;

(B) coordinate with the unit of the Bureau established under subsection (b)(3), in order to monitor complaints by service members and their families and responses to those complaints by the Bureau or other appropriate Federal or State agency; and

(C) coordinate efforts among Federal and State agencies, as appropriate, regarding consumer protection measures relating to consumer financial products and services offered to, or used by, service members and their families.

(2) Coordination

(A) Regional services

(B) Agreements

(3) Definition

(f) Timing

(g) Office of Financial Protection for Older Americans

(1) Establishment

(2) Assistant director

(3) DutiesThe Office shall—

(A) develop goals for programs that provide seniors financial literacy and counseling, including programs that—

(i) help seniors recognize warning signs of unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices, protect themselves from such practices;

(ii) provide one-on-one financial counseling on issues including long-term savings and later-life economic security; and

(iii) provide personal consumer credit advocacy to respond to consumer problems caused by unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices;

(B) monitor certifications or designations of financial advisors who advise seniors and alert the Commission and State regulators of certifications or designations that are identified as unfair, deceptive, or abusive;

(C) not later than 18 months after the date of the establishment of the Office, submit to Congress and the Commission any legislative and regulatory recommendations on the best practices for—

(i) disseminating information regarding the legitimacy of certifications of financial advisers who advise seniors;

(ii) methods in which a senior can identify the financial advisor most appropriate for the senior’s needs; and

(iii) methods in which a senior can verify a financial advisor’s credentials;

(D) conduct research to identify best practices and effective methods, tools, technology and strategies to educate and counsel seniors about personal finance management with a focus on—

(i) protecting themselves from unfair, deceptive, and abusive practices;

(ii) long-term savings; and

(iii) planning for retirement and long-term care;

(E) coordinate consumer protection efforts of seniors with other Federal agencies and State regulators, as appropriate, to promote consistent, effective, and efficient enforcement; and

(F) work with community organizations, non-profit organizations, and other entities that are involved with educating or assisting seniors (including the National Education and Resource Center on Women and Retirement Planning).

(h) Application of chapter 10 of title 5

(Pub. L. 111–203, title X, § 1013, July 21, 2010, 124 Stat. 1966; Pub. L. 114–113, div. O, title VII, § 704, Dec. 18, 2015, 129 Stat. 3025; Pub. L. 117–286, § 4(a)(59), Dec. 27, 2022, 136 Stat. 4311.)