The CFPB will hold a field hearing on small business lending in Los Angeles, CA on May 10, 2017. The announcement, which took the form of a posting on the events page of the CFPB’s website, contains only the usual statement that the hearing will feature “remarks from Director Cordray, as well as testimony from community groups, industry representatives, and members of the public.”
Since the CFPB typically holds field hearings in conjunction with announcing a related development, it might announce a development involving the CFPB’s rulemaking to implement Section 1071 of Dodd-Frank. Section 1071 amended the ECOA to require financial institutions to collect and maintain certain data in connection with credit applications made by women- or minority-owned businesses and small businesses such as the race, sex, and ethnicity of the principal owners of the business.
In its annual fair lending report issued earlier this month, the CFPB stated that it had “begun to explore some of the issues involved in the rulemaking, including engaging numerous stakeholders about the statutory reporting requirements.” Also, at the recent House Financial Services Committee hearing at which Director Cordray appeared, Chairman Hensarling criticized the CFPB for not proceeding more quickly to issue a regulation to implement Section 1071.