Americans for Financial Reform is a nonpartisan, nonprofit coalition working to lay the foundation for a strong, stable, and ethical financial system.

News Release: Consumer Bureau Announces Groundbreaking Plan to Protect Americans from the Devastating Effects of Medical Debt

WASHINGTON – D.C. – Consumer advocates at the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC), Community Catalyst, Americans for Financial Reform, National Association of Consumer Advocates, RIP Medical Debt, U.S. PIRG, and Colorado Center on Law and Policy cheer today’s announcement that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is proposing a prohibition on the reporting of all medical debts on credit reports. 

News Release: Legal Experts on Supreme Court Case Threatening CFPB, Fed & Others

Americans for Financial Reform, the Constitutional Accountability Center, and the Center for Responsible Lending held a press call on Wednesday, Sept. 13, to preview one of the most important cases coming before the Supreme Court this term: CFPB v CFSA, a constitutional challenge to the funding structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Oral arguments in the case are scheduled for Oct. 3.

Events: Alexa Philo, AFR’s Senior Policy Analyst, Testifies Before the House Financial Services’ Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy

Increased capital requirements in the Fed, FDIC, and OCC’s Large Bank proposal strengthen the banks’ ability to withstand stresses that would otherwise imperil their financial viability and hurt depositors, customers and the economy. Robust capital levels prevent financial crises that have vastly disproportionate impacts on Black, LatinX and other underserved communities. AFR strongly urged the agencies to move forward on these proposals as more well-capitalized banks are better able to provide credit to customers and communities, advancing economic justice and helping the economy to work better for everyone.

Letters to Congress: Letter of Opposition to Four Anti-ESG Legislative Proposals

AFR sent a letter in opposition to four legislative proposals that the House Committee on Education and the Workforce is scheduled to consider at its September 14th Full Committee Markup. These bills’ amendments to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) would undermine workers’ retirement security and are part of a broader political campaign against common sense investment practices. The campaign seeks to force financial actors to ignore a slew of financial risks regardless of the consequences for workers’ retirement security and the integrity of our financial system.