Americans for Financial Reform

News Category: Press Releases & Statements

News Release: AFR Applauds the House Passage of the FAIR Act

House of Representatives Passed HR 1423, the Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal (FAIR) Act, in a 225-186 vote For Immediate Release: September 20, 2019 Contact: Carter Dougherty or carter@ourfinancialsecurity.org Washington, DC – Today, the House of Representatives passed the Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal (FAIR) Act in a 225-186 vote. The FAIR Act prohibits companies from forcing harmed

News Release: CFPB’s Proposed Debt Collection Rule Faces Strong Bipartisan Opposition

Strong majorities across parties oppose the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) proposed debt collection rule including medical debt, according to a new poll released by Americans for Financial Reform (AFR) and the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL). The poll was conducted by the bipartisan team of Lake Research Partners and Chesapeake Beach Consulting.

News Release: Regulators Deal A Fatal Blow to the Volcker Rule

“This rule would free up hundreds of billions of dollars in securities and derivatives for proprietary trading purposes, completely outside of Volcker Rule coverage and in fact with an explicit exemption from proprietary trading restrictions,” said Marcus Stanley, policy director at Americans for Financial Reform. “By simply designating positions as not explicitly held for trading, banks could easily evade the Volcker Rule. These changes spell the end of meaningful constraints on proprietary trading at taxpayer supported banks, and another step in dismantling financial stability safeguards.”

News Release: HUD Proposing to Roll Back Civil Rights Protections in Housing

“HUD’s proposed rule makes it virtually impossible for a disparate impact claim to stand in court,” says Linda Jun, senior policy counsel for Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund. “By raising the threshold for disparate impact, the new rule creates a nearly unsurmountable bar for plaintiffs to prove discriminatory outcomes and makes it much easier for defendants to shield themselves from any responsibility for discrimination.”