Category Archives: Letters to Congress

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Do Not Weaken Dodd-Frank Mortgage Protections – Oppose HR 3211

AFR and more than twenty public interest, consumer, and labor organizations sent a letter to members of Congress urging them to oppose HR 3211. This legislation would reopen the door to the higher fees borrowers faced in the lead up to the mortgage crisis.

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AFR Opposes House Bills That Would Weaken The CFPB

AFR sent a letter to members of the House Financial Services Committee today, urging their opposition to a series of anti-CFPB bills being discussed by the committee. The eleven measures under discussion would weaken the CFPB in a variety of ways and make it nearly impossible for the agency to do its job. The bills are part of a continuing pattern to mischaracterize the CFPB’s organization and processes, and if adopted, would harm consumers. The package of legislation being considered also includes a frontal attack on the Bureau’s authority to consider the impact of forced arbitration clauses on consumers—a bill that would eliminate consumers’ access to courts and force them into a rigged and secretive system to settle disputes.

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AFR Urges Congress Not to Undermine Financial Regulation

AFR sent a letter to members of the House Financial Services Committee to stop interfering in the efforts of FSOC and OFR to collect data essential to analyzing potential systemic risk. The letter also states AFR’s opposition to HR 4387, legislation that could undermine the ability of our financial regulatory system to respond the kind of risks that led to the financial crisis of 2008.

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AFR Opposes HR 2672

AFR joined five member organizations in sending a letter to members of Congress, urging that they oppose HR 2672, “The CFPB Rural Designation Petition and Correction Act.” This bill would amend the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act to allow for increased opportunity for lenders to sidestep important consumer protections, including rules to ensure borrowers have the ability to repay their loans.

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AFR Opposes HR 4167

AFR sent a letter to members of Congress, urging them to oppose HR 4167. If enacted, this legislation would advance the interests of a few Wall Street mega-banks in weakening implementation of the Volcker Rule ban on proprietary trading.

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AFR, Consumer Groups Oppose Exempting Lawyers from Debt Collection Rules

AFR joined ten organizations in sending a letter to members of Congress urging them to oppose HR 2892. If enacted, this legislation would bring changes to current law, exempting debt collection attorneys from the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”.) This would effectively permit lawyers and law firms engaging in debt collection to evade essential requirements of the FDCPA which prohibit deception, unfair activities, and harassment against consumers.

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AFR Defends CFTC, Opposes “Customer Protection and End User Relief Act”

AFR sent a letter to members of Congress urging them to oppose “The Customer Protection and End User Relief Act.” This legislation would place significant new barriers in the way of effective oversight of commodities and derivatives markets crucial to our economy, barriers not faced by any other regulatory agency. The new statutory ‘cost benefit’ restrictions it places on CFTC rulemaking would enable financial industry interests to indefinitely delay and possibly overturn regulations, even where Congress has clearly directed the regulators to act, and where regulation is sorely needed to protect the public interest.