AFR submitted a comment to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau offering some suggestions on how to strengthen their proposed rule on defining “larger participants” in the international money transfer market. This proposed rule, if adopted, would be the fourth in a series of rulemakings to define ‘larger participants’ in various consumer financial product markets. AFR’s recommendations include expanding the criteria CFPB uses to define larger participants, and covering domestic as well as international money transfers under their supervisory purview.
AFR, AFSCME, and the SEIU today sent the letter below to the Securities and Exchange Commission calling on the Commission to reproprose and strengthen its rules governing credit rating agencies. Conflicts of interest and deceptive practices at credit rating agencies were central to the 2008 financial crisis and continue to pose a threat to the economy today.
AFR and more than 100 consumer, civil rights, labor and community organizations submitted a letter to the CFPB urging the Bureau to issue a strong rule to address unfair, deceptive or abusive practices in the payday and small dollar loan market.
Americans for Financial Reform and the more than 100 undersigned consumer, civil rights, labor and community organizations write to urge the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to issue a strong rule to address unfair, deceptive or abusive practices in the payday and small dollar loan market. In particular, it is essential that any rule encompass the longer-term, multi-payment products that are already evolving in an attempt to evade expected CFPB rules.
AFR sent a letter to members of Congress, urging them to oppose HR 4167, which would exempt almost all collateralized loan obligations issued before January 14th from Volcker rule restrictions on bank sponsorship of external funds, allowing banks to continue to hold these instruments. Because managers of CLOs can buy and sell assets this would create a major loophole in Volcker rule prohibitions on proprietary trading.
AFR sent a letter to members of Congress urging them to oppose HR 2672. If adopted, this amendment would effectively create a petition process that would allow individuals who reside or do business in a state to apply for the designation of an area as rural (an area that has not already been designated as such). Areas designated as rural would be able to circumvent certain mortgage provisions put in place by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
