Today, Americans for Financial Reform joined a coalition of national consumer and civil rights groups in writing to top banking regulators on the importance of preventing banks from once again issuing payday loans that trap people in a cycle of debt.
We commented to the banking regulators criticizing proposed rules on bank ownership of unsecured debt issued by systemically important (G-SIB) banks. This debt is intended to absorb losses in a potential future financial crisis, which may not be feasible if other banks are permitted to own significant amounts of it.
Today, the SEC finalized a rule that will allow financial professionals to claim they are required to act in investors’ best interests. But “Regulation Best Interest” falls far short of what ordinary investors need to ensure they don’t fall prey to self-interested advice.
Following the SEC meeting, Americans for Financial Reform will host a conference call with guest SEC Commissioner Robert Jackson. AFR and other groups have criticized the commission’s plan on investment advice for leaving ordinary Americans vulnerable to harmful industry practices. The call will include the AFL-CIO, AARP, and the Consumer Federation of America.
Do not be deceived by the label. The so-called “best interest” standard doesn’t require brokers to do what’s best for their customers. It will not require them to recommend the investments they reasonably believe are the best match for the customer, and it will not require them to consider costs except when comparing otherwise identical securities. That’s why state securities regulators have warned that the proposal “subverts,” rather than protects, investors’ best interests.
“An effective consumer financial protection agency saves families billions of dollars a year, and makes their economic lives more secure. It fights lending discrimination, and shuts down tricks and traps” said Lisa Donner, executive director of Americans for Financial Reform. “Unfortunately, the evidence keeps piling up that the current leadership at the agency is focused on rolling back protections and enabling bad financial actors to rip people off. It is so important that members of Congress continue pressing the CFPB to live up to its consumer protection mandate and fulfill its basic responsibilities, as the House has in passing the Consumers First Act today.”