"We have a chance to completely reform this entire area," she said. "If we get it right, there is a smaller regulatory burden on the lenders themselves. I'm looking for sustainability."
The consumer advocate, whose message thus far has received positive reviews from lenders and initial opponents in Congress, said she looks forward to working with industry. But she's not changing who she is.
"Look, I was pretty straightforward when I went in there," Warren said of her evening with the Roundtable. "I made it very clear: I am who I am, and that's not going to change. I will do everything I can to build an agency that is strong and independent and acts on behalf of middle class, hardworking families. That is my job, and that is not going to change.
"Now, what I also said is, 'I invite you to think about ways that we can work together and create products for your customers, these same middle-class families, that they can have confidence in and that they can have some confidence in you.'"
We need real change in the way our financial systems work. Warren will help protect consumers and the middle class in this time of uncertainty. Banks need to return to what they used to do: Lend money to regular people so that the middle class can grow and prosper again.