Statements and Press Releases Archives - Page 8 of 81

News Release: New Effort Aims to Demystify Responsible Investing

WASHINGTON, DC – Amidst growing concerns over climate risks and the spread of corporate-financed disinformation campaigns around the use of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in investing, Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund (AFREF) and Take On Wall Street launched: ESGexplainer.org. This website provides clear, accurate information on the importance of ESG investing for individual investments and overall portfolio health.

News Release: FSOC Annual Report Includes Climate and Insurance Risk

The Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) issued its 2023 annual report, noting that escalating climate change-driven disasters are “imposing significant costs on the public and the economy, with economic costs from climate change expected to grow.” Building on its 2022 report and the tumultuous year

News Release: Consumer Groups Call on the 7th Circuit to Uphold Fair Lending Law

Washington, D.C. – Tomorrow morning, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in the appeal of a fair lending enforcement action brought by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) against Chicago mortgage lender Townstone Financial.

News Release: SEC Must Stand Up to Industry Attacks and Re-Propose Buybacks Rule

The Securities and Exchange Commission should re-propose its rule on disclosures of stock buybacks as soon as possible now that the unreasonably tight deadline for a court-mandated revision of the rule has passed. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, alleging “defects” in a rule designed to bring transparency to stock buybacks, gave the SEC 30 days to revise the rule – an impossibly short time frame it then refused to extend upon the SEC’s request. The ruling came in response to a lawsuit by the Chamber of Commerce.

News Release: Consumer, Civil Rights, and Economic Justice Organizations Urge CFPB to Finalize Proposed Limits on Credit Card Late Fees

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A wide ranging coalition of 47 consumer, civil rights, and economic justice organizations called on the White House today to finalize a proposal by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to protect borrowers from excessive credit card late fees.

News Release: New Poll Shows Strong Support for Tough Regulation of Wall Street

Washington, D.C. – A new survey by a bipartisan set of pollsters, Lake Research Partners and Chesapeake Beach Consulting reveals support for tough regulation of the financial services industry and acute alarm at Wall Street’s move to buy up health care companies.

News Release: Medicare and Medicaid Agencies Finalize Strong Rule on Nursing Home Ownership Disclosure

Washington, D.C. – The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ decision requiring disclosure of nursing home ownership by real estate investment trusts (REIT) and private equity firms is an essential step towards enhancing transparency and accountability in the healthcare industry.

News Release: Federal Home Loan Bank System to Undergo Major Public Benefit Reforms in Modern Era

Washington, D.C. — Upcoming reforms to the Federal Home Loan Bank System will provide greater and more equitable public benefits under a detailed roadmap released last week by their regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). The welcome reform agenda is the result of national engagement of stakeholders on FHLBanks, for-profit entities that receive significant indirect public subsidies.

News Release: More than 100 Organizations Agree: Rein in Big Banks’ Use of Forced Arbitration

Washington, D.C. – More than 100 consumer protection, civil rights and organized labor organizations filed a comment asking the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to create a rule to restore the right of all Americans to decide to file a case in court rather than be forced into arbitration by big banks and other financial services corporations.

News Release: Public Interest Groups Urge Strong Staffing Standards for Nursing Homes

Washington, D.C. – Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund and 21 allied organizations submitted a letter urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to pass the strongest possible rule mandating minimum staffing standards for long-term care facilities (CMS–3442–P). The letter also highlights the role of private equity firms, which own 11% of US nursing homes, and their particularly harmful business practices, like understaffing, that detract from resident care.