Thomas Pahl fills a position that had been vacant since Brian Johnson left in February to return to the private sector.

The Supreme Court said the president can fire the CFPB director at will but it refused to strike down the entire bureau. The court held that the for-cause provision can simply be severed from the rest of the statute.

The Sword of Damocles hung over his head during his last year at the helm of the bureau, former CFPB Director Richard Cordray disclosed in his new book.

Brian Johnson, deputy director at the CFPB, has left the agency for a position at law firm Alston & Bird. His departure brings the tally of political appointees leaving the bureau to four.

The consumer watchdog hiked its budget for 2020, taking its spending to levels last seen in 2017.

Thomas Ward, deputy assistant attorney general overseeing the torts branch in the civil division of the DOJ, will now serve as the CFPB’s assistant director for enforcement.

The bureau has picked a longtime critic to chair its task force to review federal consumer financial laws. The move has consumer advocates up in arms.

Democratic senators have asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate whether the CFPB has fulfilled its statutory obligation to combat discriminatory lending practices. Separately, Rep. Maxine Waters questioned the bureau’s potential hiring of an enforcement director.