Last year, then-Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) introducedlegislation to kill the CFPB.

Now he's running the agency.

In selecting Mulvaney, a former congressman and current directorof the Office of Management and Budget, to serve as interimdirector, President Trump left no question about his intentions indealing with the CFPB, which Mulvaney has referred to as “ajoke.”

As a Republican House member from South Carolina, Mulvaneysponsored several pieces of legislation that were designed toeither abolish the agency or greatly curtail its powers.

Last year was one of more than 300 House members who signed aletter to then-Director Richard Cordray asking him to exempt creditunions and community banks from some of the agency'sregulations.

And as a candidate for Congress, Mulvaney accepted campaigncontributions from groups with business before the CFPB, includingcredit union trade groups and the association representing paydaylenders.

Finally, a key staffer for Mulvaney while he was in the Housenow represents a Spanish bank that reportedly was about to be suedby the CFPB before Mulvaney took over.

The Mulvaney appointment is likely to create a great deal ofintrigue in the agency, which is staffed by Cordray allies whofavor aggressive enforcement. Those staff members no doubt willclash with Mulvaney.

And Mulvaney may have the job for quite some time. Trump islikely to choose a permanent director who possibly will beunacceptable to many Senate Democrats, resulting in a prolongedconfirmation fight.

Mulvaney already has placed a 30-day regulatory moratorium onthe agency.

And while he has vowed not to blow up the CFPB while he'srunning the agency, his record in the House leaves no doubt abouthis views.

During his tenure in the House, Mulvaney:

• Sponsored legislation to repeal Title X of Dodd-Frank. Thattitle created the CFPB.
• Pushed legislation that would have repealed the agency's powerto take action in cases of Unfair, Deceptive or Abusive Acts orPractices. Agency critics have said that power gives theagency too much power.
• Sponsored a bill that would have required the agency to verifyconsumer complaints before they were made public.
• Pushed a plan that would have prohibited the CFPB from issuingrules on payday lending for two years. In addition, states andtribes could have opted out of the rule.

As a member of Congress, Mulvaney also accepted thousands ofdollars in campaign contributions from companies and associationswith business before the CFPB.

For instance, Mulvaney accepted $12,000 from Wells Fargo duringthe past three election cycles, according to the Center forResponsive Politics, which compiles campaign contributionreports.

The agency has fined Wells Fargo $100 million for its widespreadpractice of opening bank accounts without customers' knowledge.

During the past three elections, Mulvaney also received $25,000from CUNA and $2,000 from NAFCU.

Both groups have complained that the CFPB, in its rulemaking,has failed to distinguish between large banks that caused thefinancial crisis and credit unions that have not.

And he received $10,000 from the Community Financial ServicesAssociation, which represents the payday lending industry.

That association has left open the possibility that it may filesuit against the agency over final rules, which they say willunfairly inhibit their ability to make short-term rules.

Finally, Mulvaney may find himself in a particularly sensitivespot when it comes to Santander, a Spanish banking group.

Mulvaney's former chief of staff, Natalee Binkholder, serves asvice president of federal government affairs at the bankinggroup.

Last year, the CFPB fined Santander's U.S. bank was fined $10million in connection with its overdraft services. And there havebeen widespread press reports that the agency was poised to takeaction against the bank in connection with its auto loanbusiness.

Supporters of strict enforcement by the CFPB were not pleased bythe choice of Mulvaney to run the agency, even on an interimbasis.

Shortly after the choice was announced, Sen. Elizabeth Warren(D-Mass) sent out the following message on Twitter: “A member ofthe GOP anarchy gang has no business running the agency. This is agiant middle finger to consumers.”

Warren has raised questions about OMB staff serving on aninterim basis at the CFPB and about other potential conflicts ofinterest.

For instance, in a letter to Mulvaney and White House CounselDon McGahn, Warren pointed out that CFPB rules prohibit employeesfrom owning any security in any entity supervised by thebureau.

The rules also require employees to confirm divestiture inwriting within 30 days of employment, she said.