“Mnuchin’s failure to answer questions from committee members fully and honestly is one more example of an all too familiar Wall Street pattern: that rules are for little people. That is not an acceptable approach for a Treasury Secretary. Demanding answers before this nomination is rammed through is exactly the right thing to do.”
“Along with fake prescription drug peddlers, scam weight loss regimes, and sneaky malware spreaders, Google has taken down 5 million attempts to trap Americans in predatory loans since mid-July… ‘While Google’s actions are helpful and important, an internet company cannot be the main barrier to abuse by these predators. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is working on smart, fair and flexible rules that, if finalized, will protect Americans from the worst abuses of payday lending. .. [I]t must not be undermined or weakened by the payday industry and their allies who want to keep getting away with debt trap 300% loans.’”
“The AFR Advocacy Fund has released its final voting record for the 114th Congress. ‘Where They Stand on Financial Reform’ tracks more than 70 bills, amendments, and resolutions that, during the years 2015 and 2016, gave House members and Senators a chance to protect investors, consumers, borrowers and the stability, transparency, and accountability of the financial system, or, on the other hand, to make it easier for banks and lenders to inflate their profits at the economy’s and the country’s expense.”
“‘We are committed to protecting the CFPB’s independence, which is essential to stopping Wall Street and predatory lenders from fleecing American consumers. Director Cordray has been an effective and tireless leader of the CFPB and should serve his full five-year term without the threat of removal by Trump at the behest of industry lobbyists,’ said Lisa Donner, Executive Director of Americans for Financial Reform.”
“Twenty-five top U.S. brokerage firms and insurance companies present their employees as trusted financial advisors putting client interests first even as their lobbyists argue in court that they are nothing more than commission-driven salespeople, according to a major new report from the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and Americans for Financial Reform (AFR). The report also dissects how brokerage firms and insurance companies are systematically misleading unwary consumers.”
“In tens of millions of cases, debt collectors reportedly engaged in conduct barred by the Federal Debt Collections Practices Act. Nearly 40 percent of consumers reported that a debt collector had attempted contact four or more times a week. More than one third of consumers reported being contacted between 9 pm and 8 am. Three in four consumers said that debt collectors had failed to honor a request to cease contact.”
“‘It’s time to send a message to big banks, payday loan lobbyists, and their Republican friends in Congress: the American people are watching,’ Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told a telephone audience of nearly 3,000 fired-up activists last night. ‘We’re going to fight back against any efforts to gut financial reform and to allow big banks and shady financial institutions to once again cheat consumers and put our economy at risk.’”
“Mr. Kantwill’s appointment, along with the retirement of Holly Petraeus, who has led the Servicemember Affairs office for the past five years, highlights the CFPB’s extensive work on behalf of military personnel, veterans, and their families, long a favorite target demographic for financial predators.”
“AFR is disappointed at the continuing extension of exemptions from swaps reporting for foreign dealers active in the U.S. markets. Some of the transactions to which this relief applies, such as transactions with supposedly non-guaranteed affiliates of U.S. banks, could be highly relevant to derivatives risks within the U.S. economy.”
“As Americans clearly understand, the rules of the game for Wall Street have a profound impact on our economic security, and too many people have suffered from policies that enrich a tiny few at the expense of millions. Republican, Democratic and Independent voters have said as much again and again, in polls and elections. In this election, supporters of both candidates were looking for more accountability for Wall Street. The country will be watching to see whether the new President and his Congressional allies make choices – about who to appoint and what policies to embrace – that can deliver that kind of change in the public interest.”