The New Jersey Attorney General recently announced that the state’s governor will nominate Paul R. Rodriguez to serve as the Director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, the state’s lead agency charged with protecting consumers’ rights, regulating the securities industry, and overseeing 47 professional boards.

According to the AG’s press release, Mr. Rodriguez’s selection is intended “to fill the void left by the Trump Administration’s pullback of the [CFPB]” and fulfills the promise of the state’s governor “to create a ‘state-level CFPB’  in New Jersey.”  Mr. Rodriguez will begin serving as Acting Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs on June 1, pending his approval as Director by the New Jersey Senate.

The New Jersey announcement is consistent with announcements by other state AGs that they intend to fill any vacuum created by a less aggressive CFPB under the Trump Administration.

Mr. Rodriguez currently serves as Acting Counsel to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.  Before joining the de Blasio administration, Mr. Rodriguez was an associate with a major New York City-based law firm where he worked in a variety of areas.