Press Releases

Washington, D.C.— Starting tomorrow, banks must obtain permission from new customers before enrolling them in costly overdraft coverage for debit-card transactions. The Federal Reserve Board's new rule improves the status quo but still falls far short of what's needed: Banks should not be allowed to impose exorbitant charges that bear no reasonable connection to the overdraft amount or a lender's cost for making the loan. Banks also continue to pile on overdraft charges, including by manipulating transactions to maximize the number of fees they hit customers with each day. In addition

Statement from Michael D. Calhoun President, Center for Responsible Lending Washington, D.C.—"Today, House and Senate conferees reached a historic agreement to create a consumer protection agency that is truly independent from the lenders it will oversee: It will have a single director nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate; funding that is largely insulated from meddling by industry lobbyists; and the tools and scope needed to ensure most lenders operate under one set of common-sense rules. That's a win for families, small businesses, taxpayers and the economy. Lawmakers began

The ongoing foreclosure crisis has slashed hundreds of billions of dollars in wealth from communities of color, a new CRL research report shows, as an estimated 17% of Latino homeowners and 11% of African-American homeowners have already lost their home to foreclosure or are now at imminent risk. The wealth drain is the result of direct losses from foreclosures and also the decline in neighboring property values each foreclosure brings. The report—"Foreclosures by Race and Ethnicity: The Demographics of a Crisis," http://qa.crl.w.lmdagency.net/research-publication/foreclosures-race-and

Statement of Center For Responsible Lending President Michael D.Calhoun regarding Federal Reserve Board Rules on Credit Card Penalty Fees The Federal Reserve Board today issued rules that significantly limit the penalty fees that credit card companies can charge, but didn't go far enough to curtail widespread abuse in this area. Our recent report shows that card issuers are charging late fees that are unrelated to issuer losses but instead are just another way to raise costs for credit card customers. Under the new rules—the third and final set implementing the Credit CARD Act of 2009—card

Contrary to what they say, credit card companies don't price late fees for risk, a new report by the Center for Responsible Lending shows. Instead, the study finds issuers that engage in predatory pricing in general are more likely to charge the highest late fees, ones that bear little relationship to the issuers' potential loss. "The largest credit card issuers claim they use these fees as a deterrent to late payments or to cover their losses," says CRL senior researcher Joshua M. Frank, author of the report. "But the evidence shows late fees are just another way to charge customers more."

Legislation that would help prevent avoidable foreclosures and deter irresponsible lender and servicer behavior passed out of the California Senate today, 21-12. "Simple fairness dictates that no one should lose their home while they are in the middle of trying to save it," said Paul Leonard, director of the California office of the Center for Responsible Lending. SB 1275, authored by Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) would prevent servicers from foreclosing on homeowners who have requested modifications until a decision has been

Thousands of troubled California homeowners, like Kathryn Winogura of Lafayette and Zachary Norris of Oakland should have their fingers crossed for foreclosure legislation being considered in Sacramento next week. SB 1275, the bill sponsored by Sens. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), would level the loan modification playing field and hold servicers accountable for their errors. The bill is up for consideration in the Senate Banking, Finance and Insurance (SBFI) Committee sometime next week, most likely Wednesday The bill has two major provisions: Prohibiting

The economic crisis in our country has been deep and its impact devastating. Today, the U.S. Senate responded boldly by passing the Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010 (S.3217), which protects families and small businesses from unfair financial practices and guards against regulatory lapses like those that led to the largest taxpayer–funded bailout in U.S. history. Before the President can sign final legislation into law, the Senate must now reconcile its bill with similar legislation the House passed in December. We look forward to working with members of both chambers as they

Washington, D.C. --- As the U.S. Senate prepares to vote on financial reform, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported today that serious mortgage delinquencies—those at least 90 days past due or in foreclosure—remained at record levels during the first quarter. These latest statistics show that one in 10 borrowers is seriously delinquent on their mortgage, up from one in 14 borrowers a year ago and one in 25 two years ago. "It is jolting to see the persistence of the foreclosure epidemic," said CRL president Mike Calhoun. "As Congress moves forward on financial reform, it's important to

Over the past year, the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) has hosted numerous conversations with faith communities as part of its "Faith and Credit" program. In a letter delivered to Senators today, sixteen Christian leaders with decades of experience providing housing services and financial counseling urged legislators to enact reforms that protect against abusive lending practices targeting low-income households. "From the lens of our faith traditions, we recognize abusive lending as a breach of prohibitions against lending that exploits the poor," the letter states, citing practices such