AFR welcomes the news that the Department of Education has finalized a rule that will prohibit the use of forced arbitration at schools. We hope that as the Department moves forward to procedural guidance and to enforcement that it does everything possible to ensure that no defrauded borrower be left buried in debt from a school that broke the law, betrayed its students, and cheated taxpayers.
Americans for Financial Reform (AFR) is dismayed to learn that the Department of Education is still actively collecting on nearly 80,000 former Corinthian students. These actions run counter to the requests of AFR and a coalition of advocates led by the National Consumer Law Center
We are deeply disappointed that CFTC Chair Massad has delayed by one year the lowering of the “de minimis” threshold that requires Swap Dealers to register with the Commission. The decision by the Chair means that many derivatives business will continue to operate for two more years without the new oversight Congress mandated they receive.
AFR calls on the Department of Education to inform all enrolled students and those who have recently withdrawn of their right to cancellation of their federal student loans, to vigorously investigate the past misconduct of ITT, and to release any findings publicly.
Speaking in Detroit on August 8, Donald Trump outlined the very broad brushstrokes of an economic plan that included a “temporary moratorium on new agency regulations.” Such a moratorium would block the implementation of crucial Dodd-Frank rules that have yet to be written or put into final effect. It would also slam the brakes on many ongoing efforts to protect American consumers. Proceeding with these much-needed financial regulations is vital not just to the economic security of American families, but also to the economic stability of the country as a whole.
“The financial crisis of 2008 exposed glaring weaknesses not only in the regulations governing Wall Street, but in the institutions charged with writing and enforcing them. It is good news that the Democratic platform includes language highlighting the revolving door and affirming a set of concrete steps to deal with aspects of this problem. It is of the utmost importance that any next president appoint regulators who are willing to stand up to Wall Street in order to stand up for the rest of us,” said Lisa Donner, director of Americans for Financial Reform.”
“A new national poll found that, by a margin of 3 to 1, voters strongly support restoring consumers’ right to join together to take legal action against banks and other financial services companies that break the law. With the House of Representatives set to vote today on a multi-agency appropriations bill with riders that would strip the CFPB’s authority to act on forced arbitration, voters of all political parties express majority support for federal action to restrict the practice. “
“We continue to believe that the Department should be providing automatic group relief for wronged Corinthian students, rather than pursuing the application-based, piecemeal approach it has taken to discharges thus far.”
“Unlawful monitoring fee deductions… have been claimed by the private equity industry on an annual basis for many years… Hundreds of millions, if not billions, of tax revenue is lost each and every year of enforcement delay because of the statute of limitations. We hope and expect the IRS to actively, vigorously, and expeditiously enforce current law with respect to ongoing monitoring fee arrangements.”
“It is less than five years since the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was established. Since then, the CFPB has fulfilled Congress’s vision of a federal agency with “the authority and accountability to ensure that existing consumer protection laws and regulations are comprehensive, fair, and vigorously enforced.”