Category Archives: Letters to Regulators

oil rig at sunset Photo by WORKSITE Ltd. on Unsplash

Letter to Regulators: The Fed must reject any effort by banks to increase involvement in oil and gas

Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund sent a letter to the Federal Reserve Board, urging them to avoid any actions which would permit the financial holding companies or any of their subsidiaries to directly or indirectly operate oil or gas companies. The letter highlights the manifold physical, economic, reputational and financial system risks of bank commodity holdings, risks have become even more severe with the recent dislocation in global energy markets. As these markets will be disrupted for an extended period, the letter asks the Board to firmly reject any effort by banks to use the situation with respect to defaulting loans in the energy industry to increase bank involvement in the oil and gas industry.

Letter to Regulators: End Insider Dominance of Municipal Market Oversight

ACRE, AFSCME, the AFL-CIO, AFR Education Fund, the Consumer Federation of America, and Public Citizen sent a letter to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board concerning the need for broader public representation in governance of the Board and oversight of municipal lending markets. The letter is

Comment Letter: Comments on Federal Reserve Emergency Facilities

Together, these facilities could deploy up to $2.3 trillion in new credit to the economy during the pandemic crisis period. Without major changes these facilities will not be effective in getting assistance to those most impacted by the crisis, and disclosure and transparency regarding specific borrowers and loan terms is lacking. Our comment provides specific recommendations to address these issues.