Senator Durbin
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Durbin:

We write on behalf of Americans for Financial Reform, an unprecedented coalition of over 250 national, state and local groups who have come together to reform the financial industry. Members of our coalition include consumer, civil rights, investor, retiree, community, labor, religious and business groups as well as Nobel Prize-winning economists.  We support a strong Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and oppose weakening amendments to the Restoring American Financial Stability Act, S. 3217.

Durbin Amendment #3989 is a move towards helping Main Street.

Americans for Financial Reform supports the Durbin Reasonable Fees and Rules for Payment Card Transactions Amendment #3989 because it is good for merchants and good for consumers. The bank payment networks, Visa and MC, impose high, non-negotiable interchange fees for accepting credit and debit cards and use other unfair contractual practices that mean all consumers pay more at the store and more at the pump, whether they pay with cash or plastic. The bulk of the $48 billion estimated yearly take from interchange fees flows to the largest Goliath banks. Giving merchants more flexibility against unfair bank and card network practices will result in more payment choices for consumers and lower merchant costs.

Sincerely,

Americans for Financial Reform

Our 250 member groups: http://ourfinancialsecurity.org/about/our-coalition/