Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Kathy Kraninger resigned Wednesday, clearing the way for the Biden administration to pick a successor.
Kraninger’s decision to step down with the change of power in Washington was widely expected. Though her term would not have officially ended until 2023, many of her policies supported by the Trump administration had roiled Democrats.
After the Supreme Court ruled last year that a president can fire a CFPB chief at will, many speculated that President Biden would have forced her out if she did not leave on her own. She ended up resigning on the same day Biden was inaugurated.
“I support the Constitutional prerogative of the President to appoint senior officials within the government who support the President’s policy priorities, which ensures our government is responsive to the will of the people as expressed in presidential elections,” Kraninger wrote in a letter to staff.
Bloomberg News
However, it was not immediately clear whether the Biden administration had named an acting director as Biden’s nominee for permanent director, Rohit Chopra, awaits Senate confirmation. Deputy Director Tom Pahl had retired Jan. 19; the bureau’s No. 2 typically becomes acting director during any leadership vacancy.
Kraninger, a career civil servant, highlighted some of her accomplishments at the bureau and said she was guided during the past two years by the rule of law.
“It has been an honor to serve the American people for over 20 years, and my privilege to do so alongside the many career and political civil servants who put country over self,” Kraninger wrote. “Throughout my career, I have focused on implementing common-sense solutions to complex problems and delivering real value for the American people.”
Under Kraninger, the CFPB issued final regulations on payday lending, debt collection and Home Mortgage Disclosure Data.
She also said that she hoped her legacy “will be the maturation of the CFPB itself and its role within the financial services regulatory framework.”
An acting director can be chosen from any of the senior officials at the CFPB who have been there for at least 90 days or from among officials who have already been confirmed by the Senate to an existing post.
