Former CFPB enforcement directors launch public interest law firm

Published July 17, 2026 3:30 PM

Updated July 17, 2026 4:17 PM

1 Min Read

In this week's banking news roundup:

Three former CFPB senior enforcement officials have launched Halperin Petersen & Mikkilineni, a new public interest law firm.
Ally Financial has named Mark Mathewson chief information and data officer.
Provident Bank has appointed Anthony Petrazzuoli senior vice president, deposits & payments operations; and more.

Former CFPB enforcement directors form public interest law firm

Three former senior enforcement officials at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have launched a new public interest law firm called Halperin Petersen & Mikkilineni LLP. The firm plans to partner with advocacy groups and state attorneys general to combat predatory corporate practices with a focus on civil rights abuses.

The founding partners include former CFPB Enforcement Director Eric Halperin, former acting Enforcement Director Cara Petersen, and special counsel Tara Mikkilineni. For the past year, the three have been senior fellows at Protect Borrowers, a nonprofit that advocates for policies to protect consumers.

"Litigation is critical to pushing back against corporate abuse," Halperin said.

The trio previously led enforcement at the CFPB that secured more than $9.5 billion in consumer penalties and payments between 2021 and 2025. They are joined in the new firm by former CFPB enforcement counsels Adrienne Warrell and Nicole Mauri. —Kate Berry

Ally names Mark Mathewson chief information and data officer

The largest U.S. all-digital bank and auto lender announced the appointment of Mark Mathewson as chief information and data officer. Mr. Mathewson will lead Ally's technology and data organization across all functions and lines of business, advancing the firm's technology and data capabilities and driving the next phase of technology transformation.

Most recently, Mathewson served as the divisional chief information officer for Capital One's retail banking and commercial banking units. During his 12 years at Capital One, he rose through the ranks from vice president to managing vice president, senior vice president and executive vice president — a path that reflects both his technical expertise and his ability to lead at scale.

"Ally has built something genuinely rare in financial services, driven by a relentless customer obsession and commitment to developing technology solutions that solve real pain points in banking – a mindset I share," Mathewson said in a July 13 press release. —Traci Parks

Anthony Petrazzuoli joins Provident Bank

Iselin, New Jersey-based Provident Bank has named Anthony Petrazzuoli senior vice president, deposits & payments operations director. An accomplished banking executive with 25 years of experience, Mr. Petrazzuoli will direct Provident's deposit account operations, payment processing, item processing, reconciliation, ATM operations, and debit card operations.

Most recently, Mr. Petrazzuoli served as EVP, retail market manager of M&T Bank, overseeing a $13 billion deposit portfolio across a 63+ branch network in Connecticut and has held senior leadership roles at People's United Bank.

Ravi Vakacherla, the bank's executive vice president and chief information and operations officer praised Mr. Petrazzuoli's commitment to excellence in a July 15 press release. "His experience leading complex banking operations, driving process improvement, and building high-performing teams will be instrumental as we continue to enhance our operating model, deliver an exceptional customer experience, and support the Bank's long-term growth strategy," Vakacherla said.

Provident Bank is the oldest community-focused New Jersey financial institution, with assets of $25B. —Traci Parks

Montclair votes to pull funds from Citizens Bank over ICE ties

Another New Jersey town voted to pull deposits from Citizens Financial Group over the lender's relationship to firms that operate detention centers for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Montclair, New Jersey, said it would remove its deposits and has been contacting new banks, according to a town hall meeting Tuesday, where the town's mayor and council members supported the decision. The money totaled $64 million, said a spokesperson of the township.

"We're obviously not going to be able to solve all the world's problems, but this is something that we can do," Susan Shin Andersen, the town's deputy mayor and councilor at large, said at the meeting Tuesday. "We can make the conscious choice not to be complicit."

The divestment comes just weeks after Jersey City said it would pull its funds, totaling about $265 million, from Citizens, which had $184 billion in deposits at the end of April.

"We are disappointed that Montclair Township has taken this step because the facts show that we have a strong record of corporate responsibility," Peter Lucht, a Citizens spokesperson, said in an emailed statement. —TJoshua Green and Maria Eloisa Capurro, Bloomberg News

Blackstone hires Ami Momaya as India infrastructure head

Blackstone named Ami Momaya as its head of infrastructure for India, joining foreign firms such as KKR and Brookfield Asset Management in betting on the nation's power-to-ports build-out.

Momaya, who joins as managing director, is the firm's first dedicated infrastructure hire in Asia-Pacific, Blackstone said in a statement Thursday as it launched its regional platform.

India is a compelling infrastructure market, "driven by strong economic growth, accelerating digitalization, and continued policy support," Momaya said in the statement. She joins after stints with KKR, India's National Infrastructure Investment Fund and Morgan Stanley Investment Management.

"Infrastructure remains a strategic priority for the firm, and we continue to see significant opportunities across APAC's fast-growing markets," Sean Klimczak, global head of infrastructure at Blackstone, said in the statement.

Blackstone Infrastructure Partners, which manages assets worth $84 billion, invests across energy, transportation, digital, water and waste infrastructure sectors, the firm said. —Ranjani Raghavan, Bloomberg News