Today’s proposals to restructure capital and liquidity requirements for large banks represent the latest chapter in the gradual chipping away of post-crisis financial reforms. The proposals go well beyond anything required by Congress, and significantly weaken requirements for large banks to hold cash and easily salable liquid assets to satisfy payment requirements in times of economic stress.
The rule, which was years in the making, created vital protections for consumers of payday, car title, and some longer-term loans to ensure that predatory lenders don’t trap customers in unaffordable loans. Underlying the rule is the common-sense principle that lenders should consider whether borrowers have the ability to repay a loan before they risk their financial well-being.
Click here to download a PDF version of the letter.
The Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) announced that it has reversed its designation of Prudential Financial, Inc. as a systemically important financial institution (SIFI). The Council, under the leadership of Secretary Mnuchin, has now freed from Federal Reserve consolidated oversight the last of the four previously designated nonbank SIFIs.
Ten years after the financial crisis, a majority of members of the Congress that wrapped up work in 2018 voted again and again for bills pushed by the bank lobby that endanger financial stability, undermine consumer and investor protections, and enable racial discrimination in lending. The change in control of the House and a heightened awareness of the dangers posed by these actions provide an opportunity to see what changes in the 116th Congress.
Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund applauds the news that a court has rejected the for-profit college industry’s attempt to stop the 2016 Borrower Defense rule. Today, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia sided with students over Betsy Devos’s attempts to let abusive for profit schools rip them off with impunity.
The clearinghouse is a valuable resource that will improve the homeownership experience for Limited English Proficient (LEP) borrowers by making available all in-language resources in one centralized place, including translated loan documents, glossaries, and other educational materials. The clearinghouse will be helpful to lenders, housing counselors, attorneys, and other advocates assisting LEP borrowers.
El repositorio es un recurso valioso que mejorará el proceso de adquisición de viviendas para prestatarios con Conocimientos Limitados del Inglés (LEP, por sus siglas en inglés) al hacer disponible en un mismo sitio toda la documentación en un mismo idioma, incluyendo traducciones de documentos de préstamos, glosarios, y otros materiales educacionales. El repositorio será de utilidad para prestamistas, asesores de vivienda, abogados, y otros ayudando a prestatarios con conocimientos limitados del inglés.
AFR joined a letter urging the CFPB to expeditiously initiate the rulemaking process to implement Section 307 in the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (Public Law 115-174).
October 11, 2018 AFL-CIO and Americans for Financial Reform wrote a letter to the Senate to state opposition to S. 488 (the so-called “JOBS and Investor Confidence Act of 2018”) which has been passed by the House of Representatives. Many industry lobbyists are pressing for