Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A new Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) policy analysis, " Been There; Done That," warns that banks are seeking the repeal of consumer protections established in 2013 that ensured that banks could no longer keep borrowers trapped in unaffordable payday loans. Six banks—Wells Fargo, US Bank, Regions Bank, Fifth Third Bank, Bank of Oklahoma and GuarantyBank—were making predatory payday loans to their own account holders until 2013, when a public outcry and risks to the banks’ safety and soundness led bank regulators to establish commonsense guidelines to curb these

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released its final rule aimed to restrict forced arbitration and improve access to our judicial system for all consumers. Across the country, fine print agreements--from financial to employment contracts--too often include arbitration clauses to strip individuals from receiving their fair day in court. These agreements often ban class action lawsuits, leaving consumers unable to challenge widespread misconduct since it is often too expensive to pursue small-dollar disputes one-by-one in arbitration. While the CFPB did

OAKLAND, CA – The California Department of Business Oversight (DBO) recently released its 2016 report on the state’s payday lending industry. The study showed the number of seniors caught in the debt trap, age 62 and older, nearly tripled since 2015. The study also showed that annual percentage rate (APR) for these payday loans rose to 372 percent, up from 366 percent reported in the previous year and that the industry is still heavily relying on repeat borrowers. "The number of seniors caught in the vicious payday lending debt trap is concerning and indicative of the type of group the

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Attorneys General from 18 states, plus the District of Columbia, filed a lawsuit against Secretary Betsy DeVos and the U.S. Department of Education over the department’s decision to halt the Borrower Defense to Repayment rule, which is meant to protect federal student loan borrowers from abusive for-profit colleges and provide relief for students defrauded by them. The suit is led by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey. Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) Counsel Ashley Harrington released the following statement: These Attorneys General are setting an

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) President Mike Calhoun testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs for a hearing entitled, “Principles of Housing Finance Reform.” In his testimony, Calhoun argued that any proposed legislation to reform the U.S. housing system must ensure broad access for all creditworthy borrowers and permit equal participation for small lenders and community banks. Calhoun also cautioned that reform has already occurred with the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, and through the new independent

Under Consideration Today, House Financial Services Appropriations Bill Would Weaken Critical Protections for Consumers WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) denounced the House Appropriations Committee’s Financial Services and General Government FY ’18 appropriations bill, which is being marked up right now in subcommittee. The legislation proposes a dangerous deregulatory agenda, including the removal of borrower protections in the housing market and the evisceration of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Created in the wake of the 2007 financial

Joint Statement by: Michael Calhoun, President, Center for Responsible Lending Lindsay Daniels, Manager, Wealth-Building Initiative, Economic Policy Project, National Council of La Raza (NCLR) Lisa Donner, Executive Director, Americans for Financial Reform Rich DuBois, Executive Director, National Consumer Law Center Tom Feltner, Director of Financial Services, Consumer Federation of America Karl Frisch, Executive Director, Allied Progress Wade Henderson, President and CEO, The Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights Edmund Mierzwinski, Consumer Program Director & Senior Fellow, U.S

Measure Would Strengthen Enforcement of Consumer Protection Laws for Military Servicemembers and their Families WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) announced its endorsement of the Military Consumer Enforcement Act, a bill introduced today by former Army Ranger Senator Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Ranking Members of the Armed Services and the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs committees respectively. The legislation would give the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) authority to oversee and enforce compliance with certain

"Instead of criticizing the Consumer Bureau, the Committee should be working to ensure CFPB remains a strong agency to stop abusive financial practices." WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) sent a letter to House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) and Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) rebutting the committee's majority staff report criticizing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) role in investigating Wells Fargo's fraudulent account scheme. "The evidence, as publicly available prior to the issuance of the staff

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Department of Education announced its decision to rollback important rules that protect students from the abusive practices of predatory for-profit institutions—the Borrower Defense to Repayment and Gainful Employment regulations. The announcement detailed not just delays in implementation and enforcement of the current rules but an entirely new rulemaking process. Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) Policy Counsel Whitney Barkley-Denney released the following statement: We are deeply disappointed in the Trump Administration’s continued effort to put