AFR, Author at Americans for Financial Reform

News Release
AFR Statement On House Hearing On Auto Lending Discrimination

“A car is fundamentally important to many Americans ability to get to work and to take care of themselves and their families,” said Rion Dennis, advocacy and legislative strategist, at Americans for Financial Reform. “Congress, and the regulators – including both the CFPB and the FTC – need to take forceful action to end the injustice of people of color being charged more to purchase and drive one.”

Fact Sheet
Wall Street Private Equity Landlords Snapping Up Apartment Buildings

Private equity owns over a million U.S. apartment units. Tenants pay a price when corporate landlords buy their buildings. In some cases, private equity buyers have pushed out lower-income tenants – through rent hikes, eviction threats, and more – to flip buildings into high-rent properties to sell for big profits.

As House Convenes on Predatory Lending, Consumer Advocates Press for Congressional Action on Payday Debt Traps

This afternoon, the House Financial Service subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions will hold a hearing entitled, “Ending Debt Traps in the Payday and Small Dollar Credit Industry.”

AFR Statement
Senate Banking Hearing on Bank Supervision

AFR submitted the below statement to the Senate hearing on Guidance and Supervisory Expectations AFR Submission to Senate Banking Committee April 30th Hearing

News Release
Wall Street Money In 2017-18 Highest Ever For Non-Presidential Cycle

Wall Street poured at least $1.9 billion into the political process, the largest-ever amount for a non-presidential year, according to a new report by Americans for Financial Reform. This sum outstrips the total of $1.4 billion, in the 2013-14 election cycle, by 36 percent.

Joint Letter
Letter to HUD about OIG Report on DASP Loans

On April 29, 2019, AFR Education Fund and several coalition partners sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) about our concerns with the Office of Inspector General’s April 9, 2019 report regarding the servicing of mortgage loans eventually sold through

Take Action
Bank CEOs need to Raise the Wage

The nation’s megabanks are enjoying record profits. But they still aren’t sharing that wealth with their frontline workers. We know they can afford it: they got a $28 billion tax break from the Trump tax law, and they’re paying it to themselves and wealthy shareholders.

Letter To Regulators
SEC Package on Investor Protection Does Not Live Up to Name

Unfortunately, while we believe it would be possible to adopt standards that meet investors’ reasonable expectations under the Commission’s chosen regulatory approach, the regulatory package as currently drafted does not achieve that goal.

Joint Letter
Letter to FHFA on Language Access

On April 18, 2019, AFR’s Language Access Task Force and several organizations sent a letter to the Federal Housing Finance Agency in support of its efforts to improve language access for Limited English Proficient borrowers. View or download a pdf copy of the letter.

Fact Sheet
Continuing Threat of Private Equity Investment in Single Family Rentals

Wall Street private equity funds are continuing to snap up homes to pad their expanding portfolio of rental properties. Institutional investors own nearly a quarter million single-family rental homes. Wall Street landlords often hike rents, avoid repairs, gouge tenants with fees, and are more likely to evict tenants.