Tag Archives: Payday Lending

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AFR in the News: Liberal Groups Back ‘Operation Choke Point’

In CQ, reporter Ben Weyl quotes from a joint AFR/CFA/NCLC letter to Senators: “Fighting payment fraud should not be controversial. Everyone benefits from efforts to stop illegal activity that relies on the payment system.” As Weyl goes on to note, “Conservative activists and GOP lawmakers have accused the Obama administration of pursuing law-abiding businesses that cross the administration’s agenda, including gun sellers.” But the known investigations launched in the name of Operation Choke Point have all been directed at out-and-out-fraud.

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AFR Calls for Strong Rules on Payday Lending

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s latest report on payday lending reaffirms what the Bureau’s initial research showed a year ago: these ultra-high-cost loans, while promoted as a form of emergency credit, consistently lead to a cycle of debt. Even after paying substantial fees, many borrowers end up “owing as much or more on their very last loan as the entire amount they had borrowed initially,” CFPB Director Richard Cordray pointed out.

Lawmakers Back DOJ Crackdown on Illegal Use of Bank Payment Systems

“Department enforcement plays a critical role in ensuring banks and payment processors meet [their] legal obligations,” the lawmakers say in a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder. “Unfortunately, recent cases demonstrate the seriousness of the consequences when those obligations are not met. Accordingly, we urge the Department to enforce vigorously applicable laws pertaining to payment fraud, money-laundering, and other illegal payments…”