Testimony

CRL director of federal advocacy, Scott Astrada, appeared before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security) on August 21, 2018 to deliver testimony on the “Financial Literacy: The Starting Point for a Secure Retirement."

CRL Director of Federal Advocacy, Scott Astrada, appeared before the HFSC's Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit Subcommittee on January 9th, 2018 to deliver testimony for a hearing tittled "Legislative Proposals for a More Efficient Federal Financial Regulatory Regime: Part III." He spoke on the following bills: H.R. 2683, a bill to prevent veterans' credit scores from unfairly being hurt by inaccurately reported medical debts. CRL supports supports the bill and views it as a positive step forward to protect veterans from credit reporting errors. We further encourage Congress to...

CRL executive vice president, Nikitra Bailey, appeared before the HFSC Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance on October 25, 2017 to deliver testimony on the “Sustainable Housing Finance: Private Sector Perspectives on Housing Finance Reform” focusing on: Homeownership is vital for American families Congress must address the housing finance system’s legacy of discrimination Future reforms must build on the strong reforms in HERA and the new mortgage protections by Dodd-Frank and the CFPB Download the oral testimony (PDF) or the complete written testimony. (PDF)

Before the Joint Hearing of the California Assembly Select Committee on Youth and California’s Future and Assembly Banking and Finance Committee Graciela Aponte-Diaz presented the following information in her testimony: First, a snapshot of student loan borrowers, nationally and here in California; Second, highlight major issues with student loan servicing; and Finally, I’d like to provide some policy recommendations for our state to ensure student loan borrowers are treated fairly when trying to repay their loans

On Thursday, June 28th, Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) President Mike Calhoun testified before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs for a hearing entitled "Principles of Housing Finance Reform." In his written testimony, he stated that the "goal must be to ensure that the full universe of credit worthy borrowers – regardless of where they live, including in rural areas, or who they are – have access to the credit they need to be able to secure a mortgage so that they can build their American dreams. The system must also continue to offer equal access for lenders of...

On Tuesday, March 28, Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) President Mike Calhoun testified before the House Financial Services Committee's Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit Subcommittee for a hearing entitled "The State of Bank Lending in America." He discussed recent trends in lending and how the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act has made the financial industry more accountable to the public. Download the full testimony above and view a list of all four of the hearing witnesses.

Download the written testimony of Whitney Barkley-Denney submitted in advance of the September 14 hearing on interstate reciprocity agreements in higher education.

Read Graciela Aponte-Diaz's remarks before the July 2016 CFPB Field Hearing on Debt Collection. The unfair and abusive practices of debt collection in the market can take advantage of financially-distressed consumers or unfairly strip families of wealth. The Great Recession made this financial distress inevitable for many U.S. households. Each year, tens of millions of Americans are pursued by creditors, debt collectors, debt buyers, or attorneys for an overdue bill. And while debt collection plays a role in our economy, it may also expose U.S. households to unnecessary abuses. Debt collection...

Read Lisa Stifler's remarks before the December 2014 CFPB Field Hearing on Medical Debt Collection on the distinct lack of standards for when a bill is sent to a debt collector or reported to credit reporting agencies. These distinctions can result in unique harms to individuals in the credit reporting context. As CFPB research has shown, consumers with medical debts on their credit reports are overly penalized in their credit scores, underestimating the creditworthiness of those with outstanding medical debt, as well those who have paid it off. As a result, they may be unjustly penalized for...

This written testimony shares our work and insight into the subject of Raised Bill 5071, a bill that has the potential to cause significant harm to Connecticut residents seeking distance education opportunities. Two of key the consequences of the Uniform State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) are: Elimination of local, state-centered control over distance education in the state Holding distance education providers to insufficient standards