Welcome to AFR’s Coalition

Thank you so much for joining Americans for Financial Reform.  As we work to clean up the mess that Wall Street made, we need your voice to help make sure that the job of rewriting the regulatory rulebook is not left to the financial predators and inside players who brought about this economic crisis.

You have joined a coalition of nearly 200 national, state and local consumer, labor, retiree, investor, community, and civil rights organizations that have come together to spearhead a campaign for real reform in our banking and financial system built upon accountability, fairness and security.

There are many ways to get involved in the campaign, and we welcome your organization’s participation and your ideas,

  • Check our web site, www.ourfinancialsecurity.org, for news and updates on activities in the field and in Washington DC.
  • Follow the coalition on twitter, @FinanReformNow, for breaking news and coordination.
  • Join our listserv for a steady stream of information and discussion. If interested, please send an email asking to be invited to the listserv to Grace Garner at grace@ourfinancialsecurity.org. (The volume of postings to the listserv is high.)
  • Participate in our weekly General Meeting call every Thursday from 12 – 12:30 PM (ET) with the call in number: 218-844-3388 code: 11238
  • Join one of our working Task Forces

–       Field/Mobilization/Outreach Task Force:  Conference call every Wednesday from 9:30 AM – 10:00 AM (ET).  To join this group contact facilitator Brian Kettenring: bkettenring@acorn.org;

–       Policy/Legislative Task Force: Conference Call every Thursday from 3:00 – 4:00 PM (ET).  To join this group contact facilitator David Arkush: darkush@citizen.org;

–       Communications/Message Task Force: Conference Call every Friday from 2:00 – 2:30 PM (ET).  To join this group contact campaign staffer Eileen Toback: Eileen@ourfinancialsecurity.org.

Executive Pay limits and the creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Agency are some of the first pieces of financial reform moving forward in Congress.  Both are coming under major attack from the finance industry. Wall Street and the big banks are already spending tens of millions of dollars on a lobbying effort to defend their ability to use the same tricks and traps that got us into the current crisis. Please join us in pushing these first pieces of real reform forward.

Here are a few immediate actions you can take to help the cause of comprehensive financial reform:

  1. Send an email alert to your members and friends (sample text available – please contact Eileen Toback at Eileen@ourfinancialsecurity.org).
  2. Communicate with your Member of Congress (fact sheet attached).
  3. Organize town hall meetings in August and September to educate community residents and community leaders about the issues at stake (contact Eileen Toback, Eileen@ourfinancialsecurity.org to coordinate your role in the field activity).
  4. Invite more individuals and organizations to become part of Americans for Financial Reform and to visit our website at www.ourfinancialsecurity.org

Attached are a few documents that will give you more information about Americans for Financial Reform:

  • Press release announcing the launch of the organization
  • Statement of principles and call to action
  • Politico article featuring  Americans for Financial Reform
  • Americans for Financial Reform staff list

We look forward to working together to restore accountability, fairness and security to our financial system.

Sincerely,

Heather Booth

Executive Director

Americans for Financial Reform

www.ourfinancialsecurity.org