Letters to Congress

This joint letter expresses concern that an important opportunity to help improve language access for people who are not fluent in English is being lost. Allowing mortgage applicants to choose in which language they are most comfortable in communicating addresses a major problem of lenders and servicers working with limited English proficiency populations and collecting this information through the URLA is the most comprehensive way to do so, because every mortgage borrower fills one out.

The consumer groups signing this letter oppose the Taking Account of Institutions with Low Operation Risk Act of 2015 (H.R. 2896) and amendments that will put consumers at risk from dangerous products or practices and undermine the established notice and comment process in place for financial regulations. If adopted, the TAILOR Act could allow financial institutions to justify and exploit potentially dangerous loopholes, create confusion in the marketplace and cause unnecessary delays in the adoption of important consumer protections. Prudential and consumer regulators already have broad...

This letter is in response to the Department of Education's request for comments on the proposed Enterprise Complaint System ("ECS"). As advocates for students, consumers, veterans, faculty and staff, civil rights and college access, the signees believe the systematic tracking and reporting of student and borrower complaints is essential to providing quality customer service, ensuring college and loan servicer and collector accountability, and preventing waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars.

This letter urges Chairman Kevin Brady and Ranking Member Sander Levin to reject H.R. 4294, the "SAVERS Act," and support the Department of Labor's (DoL) effort to strengthen retirement income security for working families and retirees. Far from being a pro-retirement security alternative to DoL rulemaking, the legislation would weaken the already inadequate protections afforded by current outdated regulations.

The organizations represented on this sign-on letter asked President Obama to oppose any FY 2017 appropriations bills which include inappropriate ideological policy riders. Appropriations bills have been used before to undermine essential safeguards through "policy riders" – provisions that address extraneous policy issues, and are slipped into appropriations bills to win approval as part of must-pass funding legislation. Last year, hundreds of these policy provisions were proposed as a part of the omnibus process, and in this year's budget process some members of Congress have already started...

This letter to Chairman Pete Sessions and Ranking Member Louise Slaughter urges a strong opposition to H.R. 766, the Financial Institution Customer Protection Act of 2015, introduced by Representative Luetkemeyer. The bill will hamper critical Department of Justice and banking regulator efforts to detect fraud and money laundering, putting consumers and financial institutions at risk of serious financial loss. It is troubling that the House Committee on Financial Services reported out H.R. 766 in July 2015 and that the bill is now under consideration in the Committee on Rules even after a...

As strong supporters of the Department of Labor's (DoL) effort to strengthen retirement income security for working families and retirees, the undersigned on this letter urge the rejection of H.R. 4293, the "Affordable Retirement Advice Protection Act." Far from being a pro-retirement security alternative to DoL rulemaking, the legislation would weaken the already inadequate protections afforded by current outdated regulations. It is a faulty premise that an alternative to the DoL rule is necessary. The DoL's proposed rule offers a balanced approach that expands the range of advisory services...

The 40 undersigned organizations oppose inclusion in any criminal justice reform package of "mens rea" (state of mind) provisions that would make it harder for prosecutors to criminally prosecute companies and corporate executives that engage in criminal wrongdoing. Specifically, there are various mens rea proposals, including mens rea legislation proposed in the Senate, that are premised on the belief that our criminal laws are in need of a new, overarching set of standards relating to mens rea. These proposals would likely make it far harder to prosecute corporate crime by overturning the...

We write you to express our concern with pending Senate legislation and recent statements by administration officials in both the U.S. Treasury Department and the White House. Specifically, the Jumpstart GSE Reform Act of 2015, and statements by Secretary Jack Lew, Counselor to Secretary Antonio Weiss, and Mr. Michael Stegman of the National Economic Council opposing greater administrative reforms of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac—despite the inability of Congress to address the issue—would further jeopardize the delicate position of the GSEs and reduce access to affordable mortgage loans for...

The organizations represented on this sign-on letter asked President Obama to oppose any appropriations bill that contains inappropriate and ideological policy riders. With the passage of the framework bill for funding the government, has turned to how to allot the monies and what may be attached. Appropriations bills have been used before to undermine essential safeguards through "policy riders" – provisions that address extraneous policy not funding issues, and are slipped into appropriations bills to win approval as part of must-pass funding legislation. These are measures that the public...