Category Archives: AFR in the News

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AFR in the News: CFPB, Cordray, Win Second Chance to Avoid a Trump Firing (Bloomberg)

“A U.S. appeals court in Washington on Thursday granted the CFPB’s request to reconsider an October decision that stripped Cordray of his job protection, which left him at the mercy of Trump and a pro-business Republican-led Congress… Also weighing in on behalf of the CFPB are Americans for Financial Reform, the Consumer Federation of America, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group and one of the bureau’s biggest proponents, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.”

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AFR IN THE NEWS: Consumer Watchdog Faces Attack by House Republicans (NY Times)

“’People know that financial companies were running amok, and that kind of behavior takes money out of people’s pockets and was the cause of a financial crisis,’ said Lisa Donner, executive director of Americans for Financial Reform. ‘President Trump campaigned on standing up to Wall Street, and I don’t think his voters are looking for putting Goldman Sachs even more in charge.’”

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AFR in the News: Maine robo-signing scandal resurfaces with Treasury nomination (Portland Press-Herald)

“‘Steve Mnuchin said his bank did not robo-sign. Now we have yet another round of evidence that it did,” said Lisa Donner, executive director of Americans for Financial Reform. ‘The public deserves clear answers, and all senators should be demanding them. We do not need, and they should not support, a Treasury Secretary who thinks the rules do not apply to himself or to his partners on Wall Street.’”

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AFR IN THE NEWS: Trump Begins Assault on Dodd-Frank Financial Regulations (NY Times)

“‘The administration apparently plans to turn over financial regulation to Wall Street titan Goldman Sachs, and make it easier for them and other big banks like Wells Fargo to steal from their customers and destabilize the economy,’ said Lisa Donner, executive director of Americans for Financial Reform, an advocacy group that supports Dodd-Frank. ‘That betrays the promises Trump made to stand up to Wall Street, and it will have dire consequences if he’s successful.’”

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AFR IN THE NEWS: How banks and Republicans plan to kill financial reform under Trump (Slate)

“‘Critics of altering Dodd-Frank believe the signs point to a regrettable return to a pre-recession era when large banks operated without significant regulatory oversight,’ said Marcus Stanley, policy director at Americans for Financial Reform…’We had experience with Wall Street self-regulation prior to the financial crisis, and it did not work out well,’ Stanley said. ‘When you let industry determine its own rules, it’s going to create more risks. The downside of those risks is going to be pushed to taxpayers and working families.'”

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AFR In the News: Trump pledges to ‘do a big number’ on Dodd-Frank (CNN)

“Efforts to gut Dodd-Frank would spark a big fight. Supporters of the law believe it has significantly reduced the odds of another Wall Street meltdown. Lisa Donner, executive director of Americans for Financial Reform, said in a statement that it would be ‘wrongheaded and a betrayal of Trump’s campaign promises to reign in Wall Street abuses.'”

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AFR in the News: Democrats are spoiling for a fight over the CFPB (American Banker)

“Democrats and progressive groups have drawn a line in the sand over Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray, hoping to capitalize on the successful march on Washington this past weekend to rally support for him and his agency… Roughly 500 advocacy groups across the U.S. are poised to rally their supporters if Trump fires Cordray, said Gynnie Robnett, a campaign director at Americans for Financial Reform.”

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AFR Testimony: Testimony to SEC Investor Advisory Committee Hearing

In the new political environment, it is likely that there will be a heavy emphasis on the capital formation mission of the SEC. The IAC should play a critical role in reminding the Commission that investor protection is crucial to stable and effective capital formation. …Improving financial entity disclosures is crucial if we are to improve market discipline for large financial entities and investor discipline for funds.

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AFR in the News: Goldman’s Cohn could get Trump economic role (Financial Times)

“Marcus Stanley of Americans for Financial Reform, a group that wants tougher regulation of Wall Street, said that the NEC and Treasury would provide the core economic policy advice to the new administration and would have a tremendous voice in future regulatory appointments. ‘Trump talked about the rigged system. [This] is a recipe for maintaining that rigged status quo,” he said.”