CRL Statement on Leandra English

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) Senior Legislative Counsel Yana Miles released the following statement today regarding Leandra English's decision to step down as Acting Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB): "Leandra English is a revered public servant with a history of prioritizing consumer protection. Throughout her tenure at the CFPB, even before becoming Acting Director...

State Attorneys General Rightly Urge Defeat of Congressional Bills That Would Preempt State Consumer Protections

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A bipartisan coalition of Attorneys General from 19 states plus D.C. asserted their states’ authority to protect consumers from financial abuse yesterday in a letter opposing two bills being considered in Congress that would allow lenders to sidestep state consumer protection laws. HR 3299 and HR 4439 would override state interest rate caps by authorizing sham relationships...

CRL: State Law Helps California's Becerra to Protect Student Borrowers

OAKLAND, CA – Yesterday, California Attorney General (AG) Xavier Becerra filed a lawsuit against Navient Corporation, the nation's largest student loan servicer and its subsidiaries for violations of the state's Unfair Competition and False Advertising Law. Approximately 1.5 million student loan borrowers in California could be affected by the litigation. Specifically, the lawsuit charges that Navient: Steers vulnerable borrowers toward...

Judge is Wrong to Rule Against CFPB’s Existence and to Side with Company Sued for Scamming 9/11 Heroes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, a federal district court judge in New York wrongly sided with RD Legal, a company that was sued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for scamming 9/11 first responders out of millions of dollars in compensation funds. The judge claimed that the CFPB is unconstitutionally structured and should not be in existence. The impact of...

White House Proposal Would Worsen Affordable Housing Crisis

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the Office of Management and Budget released a report entitled, “Delivering Government Solutions in the 21st Century: Reform Plan and Reorganization Recommendations.” This 132-page document details an unprecedented and broad reorganization across many federal agencies. The proposal also addresses the future of mortgage finance, specifically how two Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac...

CRL on Harvard Report: Inequality in Housing Harms Economic Growth

Today Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) released its annual report, The State of the Nation’s Housing 2018. Published annually since 1988, this year’s report again identifies trends and changes in housing. Key to this year’s findings are: A growing income inequality where the cost of housing has outpaced growth in income, particularly for young and lower-income households...

Statement on CFPB Director Nominee

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Trump Administration has announced its plan to nominate Kathy Kraninger, an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) official, to be the next Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Prior to her role at OMB, Kraninger's experience in the federal government has been focused on homeland security issues, having worked at the Department of Homeland...

CA Attorney General Xavier Becerra Announces Debt Relief for Former Corinthian College Students

OAKLAND, CALIF. – Today at a press conference, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced a settlement of $67 million in debt relief for former California students of Corinthian Colleges. The for-profit college, which the federal government shut down four years ago, was a higher education predatory institution that targeted African Americans and Latinos. Attorney General Becerra’s announcement comes as the...

Bank Regulator Says he Never Observed Discrimination, but Wants to Overhaul Fair Lending Law

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, during a hearing of the House Financial Services Committee, the head of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) Joseph Otting was repeatedly asked if he believes discrimination exists in America. He replied that he had never personally observed it, though he had heard about it from others. This is surprising given that discrimination...

Federal Court Rejects Mulvaney and Payday Lenders’ Scheme to Delay CFPB Payday Rule Implementation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) applauds a federal court ruling out of Texas, which rejected a Joint Motion by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the payday lenders that was intended to delay the compliance date for the CFPB’s Payday Rule. The CFPB is currently led by Mick Mulvaney, who was unlawfully installed as “Acting...