Americans for Financial Reform

News Category: Press Releases & Statements

NAACP Letter on cuts to CFPB

Dear Representative:
On behalf of the NAACP, our nation’s oldest, largest and most widely-recognized grassroots-based civil rights organization, I strongly urge you to oppose and vote against any funding cuts to the newly created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Consumers Union Letter on CFPB Commission

The recently introduced Responsible Consumer Financial Protection Regulation Act, H.R. 1121, aims to create a five- member commission to carry out the duties of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Consumers Union, the nonprofit publishers of Consumer Reports®, respectfully disagrees with this proposed change to the CFPB’s structure and strongly supports a single director as the most efficient and effective way to run the CFPB.

Protect the CFPB: Fact Sheet

AFR submitted a comment on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s proposed rule for Swaps Execution Facilities (SEFs). The Dodd-Frank Act gives the SEC authority over the trading of security-based swaps, such as the credit
default swaps that brought down AIG and helped trigger the financial crisis. The AFR comment criticized the proposal for not following the expressed intent of Congress that cleared security-based swaps be traded on open exchanges with transparent and competitive pricing. The current SEC rule would permit the continuation of swaps trading in opaque bilateral transactions. This type of trading helps big swaps dealers but is harmful to derivatives users and could increase systemic instability.

SEC-CFTC Funding Letter

April 5th, 2011 Dear Member of Congress, On behalf of the undersigned organizations, we urge you to support full funding for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Anything less would deprive these agencies of the basic resources they need to police the safety and integrity of our financial

Letter Opposing Kline-Foxx Amendment to FY 2011 Continuing Resolution

[Download PDF] The Honorable Harry Reid Majority Leader United States Senate S-221, Capitol Building Washington, DC 20510-0001 RE: Oppose the Kline-Foxx Amendment to the FY 2011 Continuing Resolution Dear Leader Reid: Thank you for your leadership in making college affordable for more students, especially low- income students. Your past efforts to increase the maximum Pell

AFR Voices Support for Durbin Amendment in Letter to Congress

Read the pdf of our letter here. March 30th, 2011 Dear Senator/Representative: We write to express Americans for Financial Reform’s continued support for the Durbin swipe fee amendment which we supported and was included in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The current interchange system is uncompetitive, non-transparent and harmful to consumers.