Letters and Statements Archives - Page 4 of 48 - Americans for Financial Reform

Policy Memo: Federal Reserve Policy & Regulatory Changes Needed in Response to Bank Failures

The Federal Reserve’s deregulatory and light touch approach to regulation and supervision paved the way for the bank failures that have shaken the financial system this year and that led to extraordinary government intervention to preserve financial stability. Below we suggest a set of changes the Fed can make without Congressional action that would increase financial stability and put the welfare of the public ahead of the narrow interests of big banks and Wall Street.

In The News: Fed faults Silicon Valley Bank execs, itself in bank failure (AP)

Alexa Philo, a former bank examiner for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and senior policy analyst at Americans for Financial Reform, said the Fed could adopt stricter rules on its own, without relying on Congress. “It is long past time to roll back the dangerous deregulation under the last administration to the greatest extent possible, and pay close attention to the largest banks so this crisis does not worsen,” she said.

Letters to Regulators: Letter to HFSC on Stablecoin Bill

AFREF joined partner organizations to express concerns about the grave risks stablecoins pose to households and our financial system and urged the Committee to take the utmost care to not advance legislation that will increase these risks by expanding the reach of stablecoins without providing adequate protections. The letter highlights many elements that make the bill inefficient in providing adequate protections for consumers, investors, and financial markets.

News Release: New CFPB Guidance Defines Abusive Industry Conduct

Washington, D.C. — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today issued a policy statement on how it defines prohibited abusive conduct against consumers.

News Release: CFPB Proposed Rule will Bring Accountability for Financial Corporations

Washington, D.C. — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) proposed rulemaking to require that regulated nonbank entities annually register with the CFPB regarding their use of specific terms and conditions in form contracts for consumer financial products and services, will reinforce the agency’s ongoing efforts to bring transparency and accountability on how financial industries operate, according to Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund and consumer coalition advocates.

Letters to Regulators: Letter to FHFA on the Federal Home Loan Bank System

AFREF led 14 organizations in the housing, consumer protection, climate, civil rights, and community investment spaces, in a letter to the Federal Housing Finance Agency regarding the Federal Home Loan Bank system, arguing for expanded contributions to affordable housing to justify the public investment in the system, and for the system to undertake a number of initiatives to support members in reducing their climate risk and climate vulnerability.

Guest Blog: Do Not Revamp or Defund the CFPB

Congressional Republicans have moved on to their next target for financial deregulation: Republicans in Congress and the consumer finance industry want to eliminate or hobble the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The agency has provided $16 billion in restitution or cancelled debt to 192 million consumers since the agency began operation in 2010. It’s one of the few institutions, public or private, that has earned Americans’ confidence in a long time.

News Release: Broad, Independent Probe of Fed Failings on Bank Crisis Essential

A successful independent investigation into the failure of the Federal Reserve to prevent the failure of Silicon Valley Bank and the current banking crisis must have a broad scope and the authority to collect and make public the evidence from the probe, according to Americans for Financial Reform.

Blog: Mutually Reinforcing Changes to Law, Regulation and Supervision Produced Crisis

At the behest of a bank lobby that pumps billions into the political system, Congress in 2018 relaxed laws on mid-sized banks like Silicon Valley Bank, at a time when regulators appointed by former President Trump were already eager to go easier on banks. The signal could not have been clearer, and AFR warned so at the time.

News Release: House Financial Services Republicans Squander Opportunity to Hold Crypto Industry Accountable

Washington, D.C. — The House Financial Services subcommittee hearing today on digital assets should have been an opportunity to identify critical actions Congress and regulators should take to address the fallout of the crypto crash, but consumer advocacy groups fear the hearing will take a very different direction instead.