Selection of Rohit Chopra to be Nominee for CFPB Director

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This evening, numerous media outlets have reported that President-elect Joe Biden will nominate Federal Trade Commission member Rohit Chopra to serve as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). In response to this development, Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) Federal Advocacy Director and Senior Counsel Ashley Harrington issued the following statement: Commissioner Chopra has long fought...

Statement on President-elect Biden’s Relief Package

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President-elect Joe Biden last night unveiled an outline of his proposed legislative package for relief from the COVID-19 public health and economic crisis. In response, Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) Federal Advocacy Director and Senior Counsel Ashley Harrington made the following statement: President-elect Biden’s plan offers badly needed hope for a country in crisis. The policy proposals...

Over 325 Orgs Call on President-Elect Biden to Cancel Federal Student Debt on Day One using Executive Action

Washington, D.C. — Today, more than 325 organizations sent an updated 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, more than 325 nonprofit and community organizations highlight that cancelling student debt would stimulate the economy, help reduce racial wealth...

Joint Statement: President-Elect Biden Should Cancel Student Debt Through Executive Action

WASHINGTON D.C. - Action Center on Race and the Economy (ACRE), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Americans for Financial Reform, Center for Responsible Lending, the National Association of Consumer Advocates, Student Debt Crisis, and Young Invincibles made the following statement on President-Elect Biden’s American Rescue Plan: The absence of a legislative request to cancel student debt heightens the urgent need...

CRL Calls for Trump to be Removed from Office

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In the wake of the U.S. Capitol insurrection, the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) is calling for the immediate removal of Donald J. Trump from the office of the Presidency. Michael D. Calhoun, President of CRL, issued the following statement: In the days since a riotous mob of Trump supporters violently overran police and desecrated the U.S...

Joint Statement: Advocates Urge President-elect Joe Biden to Provide More Student Debt Relief

Action Center on Race and the Economy, American Federation of Teachers, Americans for Financial Reform, the Center for Responsible Lending, the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), NAACP, National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients), Student Debt Crisis, and Young Invincibles made the following statement: We welcome the announcement that President-Elect Biden plans to extend the...

CRL Statement on the Certification of President-elect Biden and Vice-President elect Harris

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congress certified President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President elect Kamala Harris’ win early Thursday morning in a joint session of Congress, hours after a historic insurrection by extremists who violently breached the Capitol and disrupted lawmakers’ certification of the Electoral College votes. Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) Executive Vice President Nikitra Bailey released the following statement: We look...

Statement on Insurrection in Washington to Stop Certification of President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris

Washington, D.C. – The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) strongly condemns the acts of violence seen today at the U.S. Capitol Building during the improper Congressional attempts to overturn the state-certified electoral votes for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Harris. CRL President Mike Calhoun released the following statement: There should be no place for today’s events in an organized...

Federal Proposal to Pressure Banks to Support Predatory Lending is a Bad Idea

WASHINGTON, D.C. – With just days left in President Trump’s Administration, a federal government agency has been moving forward with a proposal that could essentially force banks to finance payday and predatory installment lenders charging annual interest rates above 100% along with a range of other companies that pose risks to banks and the public. The Office of the Comptroller...

Civil Rights and Consumer Groups File Amicus Brief in Support of States’ Challenge to OCC Rule that Enables Predatory Lending

Advocates argue that the OCC letter issued late Friday will not save the OCC rule that facilitates usurious loans with interest rates that are higher than what state laws allow WASHINGTON, D.C. – Several civil rights and consumer groups filed an amicus brief in support of the attorneys general of California, Illinois, and New York in their case against a...