A Bankruptcy Lawyer The Banks Fear: Elizabeth Warren Speaks Up to Defend Consumers Abused by Shady Mortgages

I had to smile when I read the news that the banks were now lobbying to keep former Harvard bankruptcy professor and Senator-elect Elizabeth Warren from getting appointed to the Senate banking committee.

Lobbying is not cheap. It runs into the millions of dollars for a campaign. And, like most good businesspersons, I am sure the banks did some cost-benefit analysis in making this decision.

This action by the financial industry must mean they see a big threat to profits. And consequently, since bank profits and consumer losses are a zero-sum game, it also means her appointment to the committee could mean a big financial win for consumers. Granted, one person alone will not do it all, but the banks perceive she could have a significant effect on the outcome.

For consumers, let's hope the banks are not as successful with this campaign as they were in sinking her appointment to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a sort of consumer safety protection agency she dreamt up. Among the CFPB's primary goals is to prevent the reappearance of the bad mortgages that blew up in the mid-2000s and harmed so many average people and the nation's economy as a whole. It was passed as part of the Dodd-Frank financial reform act.

We'll see.

Closer to home, and down at the grass-roots, our law firm focuses on helping consumers and small businesses in Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, and suburban Maryland with financial problems. Call us, if you want to discuss your situation. We're not quite as feared as Elizabeth Warren right now, but we're working on it.