CRL in the News

CRL's Scott Astrada discusses how the financial stress of the government shutdown may lead furloughed federal employees to take out high-cost predatory loans to try to make ends meet.

On Thursday morning, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross — a man whose extraordinarily shady financial history doesn’t get the attention it deserves — appeared on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” to talk about the government shutdown. He expressed bafflement at the idea of unpaid federal workers suffering financial hardship, wondering why they don’t just take out loans. “There really is not a good...

Ms. Hering’s case highlights how a flavor of mortgage once panned for its role in the housing meltdown a decade ago is making a comeback. These loans, aimed at buyers with unusual circumstances such as those who can’t provide the standard proofs of income, are growing rapidly even as rising interest rates and higher home prices crimp demand for mortgages...

As 800,000 federal employees brace for another missed paycheck this week, banks, cellphone companies and nonprofit organizations are stepping up to help workers hurt by the month-long government shutdown. Creditors from big banks to local credit unions and utility and telecom companies are offering forbearance, waiving late fees and providing short-term, no-interest loans for affected workers. For many, it’s the...

Taken a trip to the emergency room lately? Moved across country for a new job? If you're like millions of Americans, the unexpected medical costs or security deposit for your new pad blew a hole in your budget. That's the upshot of a new Bankrate survey that found six of 10 people in the U.S. lack the savings to handle...

A new director who is likely to loosen the regulatory reins. A new House committee chair who favors stricter regulations. That’s the new reality facing the CFPB as Kathy Kraninger takes over as director and Rep. Maxine Waters takes the helm of the House Financial Services Committee.

This week, the estimated 800,000 government employees affected by the partial government shutdown are about to start missing their paychecks, and lenders are stepping in with offers to help — some good, some bad, and none automatic. Most of the biggest consumer banks are offering to waive fees and interest charges for some customers, but not all.

Over the summer, Democratic Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Sherrod Brown of Ohio introduced legislation that would take a large bite out of the roughly $15 billion that banks collect annually from overdraft fees. Their bill would ban such charges on debit card purchases and ATM withdrawals. It would also prohibit banks from charging more than six overdraft...

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) has a long list of items on her agenda as the head of a House committee charged with overseeing the banking industry and economy. Whether it’s bringing in Wells Fargo representatives for questioning, finding out what Mick Mulvaney did at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or creating a subcommittee on discrimination to make sure the playing...

WASHINGTON — The past year brought hope that regulators are finally focused on about modernizing the decades-old Community Reinvestment Act. But translating that momentum into an actual reform plan in 2019 will not be easy. “These reforms, by no stretch of the imagination, are strengthening [CRA] or making it more efficient,” said Scott Astrada, director of federal advocacy at the...