Robert Cameron, coming to the bureau from a student financial aid provider, will lead the analysis and resolution of complaints of private student loan borrowers.
8/19/2019 14:30
Nearly a year after student loan ombudsman Seth Frotman resigned from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a new Private Education Loan Ombudsman will now lead the office, the bureau announced Friday.
Robert G. Cameron is a colonel and staff judge advocate for the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and has served in the U.S. Army for 29 years. He joins the CFPB from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, where he was a high-ranking official responsible for litigation, compliance and risk mitigation efforts, according to a news release.
The ombudsman, a position created under the Dodd-Frank Act, is responsible for receiving, reviewing and attempting to resolve complaints from private student loan borrowers, according to the CFPB. The ombudsman is also responsible for compiling and analyzing complaint data on private education loans and making appropriate recommendations to the secretary of the Treasury, the bureau director, the secretary of Education and Congress.
While at the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, Cameron directed a staff of attorneys and other personnel and oversaw compliance activities at the agency, according to the news release. He was responsible for ensuring the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency’s compliance with numerous federal and state laws, including the Dodd-Frank Act. Cameron has also served in Pennsylvania’s Treasury Department and in the Governor’s Office of General Counsel.
The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency was one of several entities subject to a request for reports on the student loan servicing market from members of Congress, ACA International previously reported.
Congress is requesting reports on student loan complaints mandated under the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010, in addition to the other records, by Sept. 9, 2019. Before the announcement of Cameron’s hiring, the request also included an update on the bureau’s plans to hire a student loan ombudsman.
The House Financial Services Committee will meet for a hearing, “A $1.5 Trillion Crisis: Protecting Student Borrowers and Holding Student Loan Servicers Accountable,” on Sept. 10.