Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Kathy Kraninger, the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), announced a long-awaited proposed rule governing the $11.5 billion debt collection industry that includes 7,700 collection agencies nationwide. It is also an industry that ranks among those most reported complaints received by the CFPB and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). As announced, debt collectors would...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – At 3:00 p.m. ET this afternoon, a House Financial Services subcommittee will convene a hearing entitled “Ending Debt Traps in the Payday and Small Dollar Credit Industry. A live-stream of the hearing along with a full witness list and background information are available on the Committee’s website. Among those testifying is Diane Standaert, director of state policy...

Tomorrow (Tuesday) a House Financial Services subcommittee will hold a hearing on the bill, which would establish a bulwark to defend Americans from predatory lending, and also on the CFPB’s move to roll back consumer protections on payday loan Click here for this map, showing the APR of a typical payday loan in those states without strong interest rate caps...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Senate confirmed Mark Calabria as the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) –the federal regulator that oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – led by acting director Joseph Otting since early January. Calabria, who has served as chief economist for Vice President Mike Pence, was nominated to head the FHFA by the Trump...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services held a full committee hearing entitled, “The Fair Housing Act: Reviewing Efforts to Eliminate Discrimination and Promote Opportunity in Housing.” The hearing examines fair housing laws, new online platforms in the housing market, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) enforcement of the landmark federal Fair Housing...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Brookings Institution published a new research report by the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) that explores how online programs from for-profit institutions negatively affect low-income students, particularly African Americans, veterans, and female heads of household. The report also addresses the trend of for-profit colleges going exclusively online or partnering with non-profit institutions to run their...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) President Mike Calhoun testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs for a hearing on “Chairman’s Housing Reform Outline: Part 2.” In his testimony, Calhoun discussed that any reform of the U.S. housing system must ensure access to safe and affordable mortgage loans for all creditworthy borrowers...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos will testify before the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees, where she will need to explain her decision to drastically reduce funding for higher education programs, many that target low-income students, in the upcoming fiscal year. Today will be Secretary DeVos’ first time testifying before a Democratic-controlled House. On Thursday...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) introduced the Preventing Risky Operations from Threatening the Education and Career Trajectories of (PROTECT) Students Act of 2019, a bill to protect higher education students by improving oversight and accountability of colleges and universities, particularly for-profit institutions. The bill would improve the 2014 Gainful Employment (GE) rule...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, President Donald Trump signed an executive order addressing free speech, transparency and accountability on campus, a move that comes after conservative groups claimed their voices being silenced at colleges and universities throughout the country. Aside from ensuring that colleges receiving federal research or education grants promote free speech, the order directs the Education Department to publish...