Press Releases

Operation Choke Point Protects American Businesses, Consumers On Tuesday, the Senate will consider an amendment to the Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations bill that would eliminate funding for a Department of Justice program called "Operation Chokepoint." Center for Responsible Lending president Mike Calhoun responds: It's clear that the mythology that Operation Chokepoint detractors have been marketing has reached our nation's lawmakers and legislators...

Senator Warren's Bank of Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act Provides Important Options for Refinancing Student Loans This week, the Senate will vote on Senator Elizabeth Warren's Bank of Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act, which would allow borrowers to refinance student loans at lower rates. Representatives Miller and Tierney have also introduced a companion bill in the House. The Center for...

Yesterday, President Barack Obama held a White House briefing and signed a Presidential Memorandum calling for new refinancing options, expanding access to income-based repayment, better outreach to distressed borrowers, and more accountability for student loan servicers. Later this week, the Senate is scheduled to vote on Senator Warren's Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act, which would allow borrowers to...

"We must not undermine the progress we have made," says Ken Edwards Today, the House of Representatives will vote on the so-called "Mortgage Choice Act" – a bill that would threaten the safety of home loans and leave consumers vulnerable to excessive fees. These fees, according to the Center for Responsible Lending, would upset the careful balance struck by the...

Last month, the Department of Defense issued a report to Congress on the Military Lending Act: Enhancement of Protections on Consumer Credit for Members of the Armed Forces and Their Dependents. In its report, the Department of Defense reviews the regulations that implement the 2007 Military Lending Act, an act to protect servicemembers and their families by capping the cost...

On Friday, May 23, 2014, President Barack Obama nominated San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro as the new Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Statement of Mike Calhoun, president of the Center for Responsible Lending: In his five year tenure, Major Julián Castro has made a substantial difference for the city of San Antonio. The Mayor has a...

Today, the Center for Responsible Lending joins an extensive group of education, student, civil rights, consumer, veterans, and labor groups in calling for strong for-profit college regulations. Yesterday was the last day to file comments on regulation proposed by the Department of Education, called the "gainful employment rule." The gainful employment rule, proposed in March of this year, aims to...

Photo Gallery On May 22, 2014, the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), in partnership with other civil and consumer rights advocates, briefed Members of Congress, their legislative staffs, media and members of the public on its research on the auto lending abuses that affect communities of color, low–wealth and the military. The briefing, sponsored by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-30th/TX)...

Today, the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit of the House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing entitled, "Legislative Proposals to Improve Transparency and Accountability at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau." The hearing will include discussion on eleven bills. Statement of Mike Calhoun, president of the Center for Responsible Lending: "In its first two years, the Consumer Financial...

On the fifth anniversary of the Credit CARD Act of 2009, consumer advocates applaud the Act's success in saving Americans billions of dollars in predatory and excessive fees. By one estimate, the CARD Act has saved consumers $12.6 billion annually in lower fees and interest charges; a recent report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau identifies nearly $4 billion annual...