Press Releases

"Bank of America's (BofA) new program to reduce loan balances for a defined group of distressed homeowners highlights our nation's very serious foreclosure situation. Today, nearly 1 in 4 homeowners is struggling to stay in a home that's worth less than their mortgage. BofA's initiative responds to a widelyacknowledged reality: reducing a loan's principal balance is a crucial tool for...

"Yesterday's vote by the Senate Banking Committee to move forward with financial reform sends an important message that Congress must change the rules so that consumers are protected from unfair practices, our economy is protected from the damage of bad lending, and taxpayers won't have to pay for another Wall Street bailout. We are encouraged by the bipartisan collaboration between...

CRL commends Chairman Dodd in crafting a financial reform bill that addresses the deceptive lending practices and regulatory failures that have caused millions of families to lose their homes, decreased access to credit for small business owners and cost state and local governments billions in lost revenue. To effectively remedy the lapses that wrecked our economy and resulted in the...

Washington, D.C.—March 5, 2010— The Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009, which took effect February 22, 2010, requires new disclosures on monthly credit card statements. The Financial Services Roundtable and the Center for Responsible Lending have teamed up to explain a few of these new disclosures, which are intended to make the cost of credit clearer...

A key federal regulator for years has let national banks engage in lending practices that the regulator itself admits harm consumers and lenders, according to two new reports from the Center for Responsible Lending. (For the full reports go to: http://qa.crl.w.lmdagency.net/research-publication/mainstream-banks-mak… and http://www.responsiblelending.org/research-publication/national-bank-re…) The reports focus on two of many areas in which the regulator—the Office of the Comptroller of...

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported today that serious mortgage delinquencies—those at least 90 days past due or in foreclosure—remained at record levels in the fourth quarter of 2009. These latest statistics show that one in 10 borrowers is seriously delinquent on their mortgage, up from one in 16 borrowers a year ago and one in 33 two years ago...

Last night the President highlighted the need for jobs and health care reform for middle-class families, but Americans also need relief in the housing market and financial reform. First, we need stronger measures to stop preventable foreclosures. The financial crisis started in the housing market, and foreclosures continue to drag down the entire economy. Banks should be required to take...

As the year ends with a spotlight on pending health and financial reforms in Congress, the Federal Reserve closed its comment period for mortgage rules that could save families billions of dollars. In a detailed comment letter, the Center for Responsible Lending recommends that the Federal Reserve Board strengthen a proposal to ban routine kickbacks for steering borrowers into unnecessarily...

Statement from Michael Calhoun President of the Center for Responsible Lending Washington, D.C. – "We are very pleased the U.S. House of Representatives has taken an important step toward restoring our country's financial stability by voting to pass the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009 (H.R. 4173). The bill would provide consumers with significant protections from the...

Credit card companies are busy crafting new tricks and traps to bypass both Federal Reserve Board rules and new federal law set to take full effect in late February 2010, a new research report from the Center for Responsible Lending finds. Entitled "Dodging Reform: As Some Credit Card Abuses Are Outlawed, New Ones Proliferate," the report explains why the nation's...