Category Archives: Statements and Press Releases

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AFR Statement: Online and Storefront Payday Lenders are More Alike than Different, CFPB Report Shows

“About half of all online payday loan customers end up paying fees ($185 is the average amount) triggered by failed debit attempts. Some lenders keep on trying to collect in even when there is likely to be no effect other than to increase the cost to the borrower. Some companies will even break a payment into multiple smaller amounts, submitting three $100 requests, for example, instead of one $300 request. A third of the customers hit with such penalties end up having their bank accounts closed involuntarily.”

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AFR Statement: AFR Statement on FHFA Announcement on Distressed Mortgages

“AFR welcomes FHFA’s announcement that it will take additional steps to limit the negative effects of underwater mortgages on homeowners and their communities. Principal reduction on underwater mortgages has been a priority for AFR and many of our members, and we have long urged FHFA to adopt this position. “

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AFR Statement: Five Bank Resolution Plans Found “Not Credible”

“These regulatory assessments add yet more weight to the case for aggressive action to realize the promise made in the Dodd-Frank Act that ‘too big to fail’ will be ended. The findings open the door to such action by authorizing regulators to place additional controls on the five banks whose plans were officially found to be ‘not credible’ if these banks do not meet the October 1st deadline for remediating the issues identified in the resolution plans. The regulators’ action also starts the two year clock in Dodd-Frank on the potential breakup or restructuring of these banks.”

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AFR Statement: A Huge Victory for American Workers and Retirees

“After years of effort, and against massive opposition by some industry players, the Department of Labor has come out with a rule requiring retirement investment advisers to give honest advice – the kind that puts the best interests of their clients first. Today’s announcement is a huge victory for American workers and retirees. “

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AFR Statement: AFR Statement on Metlife Decision

“We are disappointed that a single Federal district court judge has overturned the decision of the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC), which voted 9-1 to designate Metlife for additional Federal Reserve oversight. “

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AFR Statement: Why We Support the Baldwin-Merkley Hedge Fund Bill

“Again and again, activist hedge funds have used sneak attacks to accumulate large stakes in public companies and then cashed out quickly at the expense of workers, communities, and the long-term viability of the company itself. The Brokaw Act is a sensible and badly needed response to this problem. With the introduction of their bill, Senators Baldwin and Merkley have struck an important blow against the immediate-profits-at-all-costs mentality that has become such a huge obstacle to long-term investment in our country.”

Press Release: Show of Support for CFPB at House Hearing

In the audience at the House Financial Services Committee’s semi-annual CFPB review hearing this morning, you’ll see a delegation of community leaders and consumer advocates from around the country wearing lime-green t-shirts and signs that say, “The CFPB Has Our Back.”

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AFR Statement on the President’s Meeting with Financial Regulators Today

“Nearly six years after Dodd Frank’s enactment, key oversight agencies (including the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission) have still not completed crucial rules mandated by the law. These include measures deeply related to the causes of the financial crisis…”