All posts by AFR

News Release
Groups Launch Equitable & Just Insurance Initiative to Find Solutions to Climate-Driven Insurance Crisis

Dozens of consumer protection, community development, environmental, climate, and racial justice advocates have joined together to form the Equitable & Just Insurance Initiative, a coalition that aims to develop solutions that can guide community leaders and policy advocates working to address the climate-driven insurance crisis. 

Blog
What Will Elon Musk and His Tech Bros Do With Your Personal Data?

Last week, newly confirmed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent granted billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team access to all of the federal government payments data. Musk’s team of tech bros are currently upending and disrupting the entire federal government without clear statutory authority or congressional approval.

Fact Sheet
AFREF Coalition Fact Sheet on CFPB Larger Participants Rule

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has finalized a rule allowing it to supervise larger nonbank companies that offer services like digital wallets and payment apps, also known as peer-to-peer or P2P apps. Supervision of these companies will make sure they comply with the law and do not facilitate fraud. Banks are already supervised for these same reasons, and this rule will level the playing field to make sure all payments are safe, whether offered by a bank or a nonbank company.

Fact Sheet
AFREF Coalition Fact Sheet on CFPB Overdraft Rule

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) new overdraft fee rule closes a paper-check era loophole that has promoted abusive practices and allowed the biggest banks to earn billions in profits off of the most vulnerable families. The rule will help everyone, but especially families that are struggling with high prices and making ends meet.

Fact Sheet
AFREF Coalition Fact Sheet on CFPB 1033 Open Banking Rule

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) Personal Financial Data Rights Rule (Rule 1033) helps create a more consumer-friendly and competitive financial services marketplace by allowing people to easily and securely move their personal financial data between financial institutions. Prior to this rule, many banks and financial institutions limited how consumers could use their financial data, which made it difficult for people to comparison shop, manage money, use new technology, or switch accounts and service providers. With Rule 1033, people who wish to switch financial service providers can share their banking history and data from previous transactions in a secure manner, helping them more easily move between service providers.

Fact Sheet
AFREF Coalition Fact Sheet on CFPB Medical Debt Rule

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) final rule to remove medical bills from most credit reports will prohibit credit reporting companies like Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian from sharing medical debt information with lenders as well as barring lenders from considering these medical debts in underwriting decisions.

CFPB 2

Fact Sheet
AFREF Coalition Fact Sheet on CFPB Protecting People and Families

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), created after the devastating 2008 financial crisis, exemplifies the government working for the people by vigorously protecting consumers and their families, including by reducing junk fees and holding corporations and financial institutions accountable when they engage in unfair and illegal conduct. Since its creation, the CFPB has stood up for the little guy against Wall Street, predatory lenders, and other financial services companies, by cracking down on junk fees, reducing the burdens of medical debt, fighting lending discrimination, and promoting banking competition, all while returning billions of dollars back into the pockets of everyday people.

In the News
Federal watchdog bans medical debt from credit reports

But imposing a blanket national ban would still be a major boon to consumers, Christine Chen Zinner, chief policy counsel at Americans for Financial Reform, told Yahoo Finance. If it’s implemented, the rule would make it easier for Americans to dispute unfair or incorrect hospital bills by taking away the threat that their credit score could be harmed if the debt is sent to collections.