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In The News: Albertsons wants to issue a $4 billion ‘special dividend.’ Critics call it ‘looting.’ (The Washington Post)

“Private equity firms have a long track record of being extractive — that is, extracting wealth from their portfolio companies,” said Carter Dougherty, spokesman for the Americans for Financial Reform, which advocates for regulation of private equity. “When you see Cerberus shaking $4 billion out of a company in a difficult industry like groceries, it’s not out of bounds to say this is yet another episode of industry abuses.”

A pair of hands writing on paper with a pen

Letters to Regulators: Comment Letter on Fintech and Housing Finance

AFREF joined experts in the field in submitting comments calling on the FHFA Office of Financial Technology to ensure that new applications of fintech to housing finance do not violate consumer protections or fair housing violations. Specific recommendations are made to avoid algorithmic bias and e-signature fraud, along with a general principle of caution when approving new fintech practices.

Media Advisory: Experts discuss judicial attempt to destroy CFPB funding  

Remarks and Q&A with prominent legal experts on the extreme attempt by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn CFPB’s payday lending rule and destroy the funding mechanism Congress created for the agency, a step that threatens to unleash chaos in consumer finance markets and inhibit the agency’s work in protecting consumers.

News Release: 5th Circuit Court of Appeal’s Decision on CFPB Funding is an Outrageous Undermining of Consumers’ Rights

On Wednesday, October 19, 2022, a three-judge panel in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with the payday lenders trade association in ruling that the CFPB’s funding structure is unconstitutional because it does not go through Congressional appropriations. This line of attack toward the CFPB – via its funding – has nothing to do with actually caring about the constitution and everything to do with the big banks and predatory lenders trying to escape the oversight and enforcement actions of an agency focusing on protecting and defending consumers.

News Release: Federal Insurance Office Requests Critical Climate Data from Insurers

The Federal Insurance Office (FIO) proposed new reporting requirements for insurers to collect geographical data on how climate change is affecting the availability and affordability of homeowners, multi-peril commercial, and fire insurance, with a lookback period of five years to assess trends. This is a critical–and long-awaited–first step to quantify the growing homeowners’ insurance gap in the midst of worsening climate conditions.