Fed's Duke-stronger consumer protections needed

WASHINGTON, June 10 (Reuters) - Consumer confidence in banks and borrowing will only be restored if regulators put stronger consumer protections in place, Federal Reserve Governor Elizabeth Duke said on Wednesday.

"Being attentive to the interconnection between meaningful consumer protections and broad access to credit will ensure a more lasting and sustainable economic recovery," she said to a community development conference in Cleveland.

Duke did not address the outlook for the economy or monetary policy in her speech.

But the Fed governor, a former community banker, warned that overzealous consumer protections could result in restricted access to credit and crimp economic growth. She said, however, authorities cannot hope to successfully rebuild the banking system, which has been shattered by the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, without a focus on consumers. (Reporting by Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Padraic Cassidy)