Press Releases

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...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congress is set to pass a coronavirus relief package that is crucial and yet falls short of fully addressing the great, pressing needs of a nation in crisis. Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) Federal Advocacy Director and Senior Counsel Ashley Harrington made the following statement: As the number of dead surpasses 315,000 and millions of families...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released the second part of its final debt collection rule, which includes new provisions on time-barred or “zombie” debt for which the statute of limitations has expired, validation notices, and language access, among others. The first part of the rule, released in October, focused on telephone calls and electronic communications...

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Center for Responsible Lending, Bank Policy Institute and the Independent Community Bankers of America issued the following joint statement in response to a vote by the FDIC to approve a final rule on Industrial Loan Companies (ILCs): On Tuesday, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation finalized its rule governing supervision of parent companies of industrial loan...

Makes it easier for lenders to exploit more financially vulnerable families WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) approved a new final rule to facilitate chartering additional under-regulated Industrial Loan Companies (ILCs). The FDIC rule will encourage non-bank companies to acquire banks or seek ILC charters for their subsidiaries that enable those ILCs to preempt state consumer...

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...