Press Releases

Access to safe mortgage products and wealth-building opportunities of homeownership are at stake Update to implementation of the Dodd-Frank law’s overhaul of the housing market and its requirement that lenders check borrowers’ ability-to-repay WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) yesterday released two final rules that update guidelines for what are considered borrower-safe qualified mortgage (QM) loans that...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Center for Responsible Lending Executive Vice President Nikitra Bailey released the following statement on the passing last night of longtime U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.), who chaired the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee: Our heartfelt condolences go out to Senator Sarbanes’s family as they mourn his passing. For decades, Senator Sarbanes was a champion for...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced Friday evening that the Trump Administration will extend the federal student loan repayment forbearance, including suspension of interest accrual and collections activity, through Jan. 31, 2021. Center for Responsible Lending Federal Advocacy Director and Senior Counsel Ashley Harrington released the following statement: While we are relieved that payments will not resume...

Durham, NC — Over half (55%) of surveyed North Carolinians with student debt who earn less than $50,000 in annual income report a decrease in their household income since the onset of COVID-19, according to a Morning Consult survey commissioned by the Center for Responsible Lending. Despite a pause in payments for many student loan borrowers as provided in the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) and the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) released a policy report illustrating a path out of the student debt crisis and proposing solutions for a more equitable and efficient higher education system. Road to Relief: Supporting Federal Student Loan Borrowers During the COVID-19 Crisis and Beyond lays out a roadmap...

DURHAM, N.C. – Yesterday, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell announced his intention to comply with a request by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin that the Federal Reserve return unused emergency relief funds by the end of the year. Center for Responsible Lending Executive Vice President Keith Corbett made the following statement: Our country continues to be roiled by a pandemic that...

Impact felt most by lower wealth families and families of color WASHINGTON, D.C. – Late yesterday, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) released its final rule on capital requirements for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the Government-Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) that FHFA oversees and that provide financial backing for half of all mortgages in America. Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) Executive...

Washington, D.C. — Today, over 235 organizations sent a letter to President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris, calling on them to use executive authority to cancel federal student debt on day one of their administration. In the letter, 238 nonprofit and community organizations highlight that cancelling student debt would stimulate the economy, help reduce the racial wealth gap, and could...

DURHAM, N.C. – Today, the Center for Responsible Lending released a report outlining higher education policy recommendations that states should enact to avoid repeating the unequal recovery of 2010, as our nation deals with the dual crises of an out-of-control pandemic and the resulting economic collapse. The CRL report, “ System Reboot: Challenges & Opportunities at the State Level for...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, it was announced that Joseph Biden will be the 46th President of the United States along with Kamala Harris as his Vice President. Center for Responsible Lending President Mike Calhoun released the following statement: The COVID-19 economic collapse has left the finances of many families in tatters, especially in Black and Brown communities, which have been...