Category Archives: AFR in the News

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AFR in the News: Nominee to Lead Consumer Agency Clears a Hurdle

Ben Protess (DealBook/NYT)
October 6, 2011

‘We call on all senators to stand up for families and confirm Richard Cordray as C.F.P.B. director,’ said Lisa Donner, head of Americans for Financial Reform, an advocacy group. ‘Will you implement the law and make sure the C.F.P.B. can do its job helping people defend themselves from loan sharks big and small? Or will you block consumer protection and instead protect wrongdoing by companies that caused the financial crisis?’

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AFR in the News: How Lobbyists Are Undermining Dodd-Frank: A Case Study

Darius Tahir (The New Republic)
October 6, 2011

As Marcus Stanley of Americans for Financial Reform told me, all sorts of people rely on predictable commodity markets for their business: gas stations, businesses that supply heating oil, enterprises that order food in bulk such as confectioners, and so on. Higher volatility often ends up being passed on to businesses as a higher cost on their balance sheet, with predictable consequences

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AFR in the News: Consumer Groups Urge Senate Approval Of Consumer Watchdog

Jim McConville (Financial Advisor)
October 6, 2011

“This [delay] is harming consumers,” said Ed Mierzwinski, consumer program director for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group and chairman of Americans for Financial Reform Task Force on the CFPB, during a conference call on Wednesday that was sponsored by the consumer group Americans for Financial Reform. ‘The lack of the full authority of the CFPB is a serious problem, which leaves students, military families, veterans and older Americans at risk of financial problems,’ Mierzwinski added.

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AFR in the News: Cordray CFPB director nomination passes Senate Banking Committee

Kerri Panchuk (Housing Wire)
October 6, 2011

‘American families want and need someone to level the playing field and prevent tricks and traps in the financial services market,’ said Lisa Donner, executive director of Americans for Financial Reform. ‘We call on all Senators to stand up for families and confirm Richard Cordray as CFPB director.’

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AFR in the News: Financial watchdog director moves closer to approval — or a brick wall

Connie Prater (Creditcards.com)
October 6, 2011

Lisa Donner, executive director of Americans for Financial Reform challenged Republican senators to ‘stand up for families’ and confirm the nomination. ‘Will you implement the law and make sure the CFPB can do its job helping people defend themselves from loan sharks big and small?’ Donner asked. ‘Or will you block consumer protection and instead protect wrongdoing by companies that caused the financial crisis?’

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AFR Statement: Cordray Nomination Markup in Senate Banking Committee

“American families want and need someone to level the playing field and prevent tricks and traps in the financial services market”, said Lisa Donner, Executive Director of Americans for Financial Reform. “We call on all Senators to stand up for families and confirm Richard Cordray as CFPB director.

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AFR in The News – The Push to Pull the Teeth out of Dodd-Frank

The current economic turbulence is a direct result of insufficient regulation — so it makes no sense to curb pending rules that would address the causes of the crisis, says Lisa Donner, executive director of Americans for Financial Reform, a coalition of labor, civil rights, community, and small business groups. “The thought that what we need to get the economy going again is to cut back on regulation is astoundingly backwards,” she says, noting that recent polls suggest businesses are struggling with economic conditions, not overregulation.”

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AFR in the News – State is key to deal on mortgages

‘The banks want to get away with everything, and she is probably one of the linchpins in saying that is going to happen or isn’t going to happen,’ said Liz Ryan Murray, the chairwoman of the foreclosure task force at Americans for Financial Reform. ‘We would like to see her come forward and be more public on what she will and won’t give up.’”

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Questions Arise About UBS Risk Controls

Questions Arise About UBS Risk Controls Alistair MacDonald and Deborah Ball (WSJ – subscription required) September 16, 2011 “Risk-management and control specialists are again questioning the banking industry’s ability to manage risks and regulator’s efforts to police the sector after a UBS AG trader lost

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Global Standards Sought on Rules

Global Standards Sought on Rules Victoria McGrane (WSJ – subscription required) September 16, 2011 “Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner in a letter Wednesday assured Congress that the Obama administration and federal regulators are working with their international counterparts to see they adopt similar rules requiring market