Americans for Financial Reform

Joint Press Release: Wells Fargo May Have Lied to Congress, Say 33 Groups led by AFR and Public Citizen

“‘Wells Fargo used forced arbitration clauses and class-action bans to hide abuses and prevent its customers from securing justice or even realizing that problems the bank causes them are widespread,’ said Lisa Donner, executive director of Americans for Financial Reform. ‘It now appears that they have also tried to hide the breadth of problems inside the bank, even in the face of direct questions from members of Congress. Leaders of the relevant committees should be demanding answers and further hearings to get them.’”

AFR Statement: Tax Cut Effort a Giveaway to Wall Street

Cutting corporate tax rates, a main purpose of the tax proposals would disproportionately benefit big banks. Goldman Sachs is a dominant voice in the Trump administration thanks to appointees like Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and White House economic adviser Gary Cohn.

AFR in the News: Dodd-Frank is still here but banks have reasons to cheer Trump (Financial Times)

“Americans for Financial Reform… noted that the [Treasury] report followed recommendations from The Clearing House, a powerful trade association, in 31 out of 40 specific cases. In some instances, the language of the government and the language of the lobbyists was hard
to tell apart… ‘We’ve reached a point in this administration when big banks and private-equity funds have placed so many people in the top jobs, they hardly need to worry about lobbyists and trade associations any more,’ says Jim Lardner, a senior fellow at AFR”.

AFR Comment: AFR Supports CFP Board Update to Ethical Standards

“By making the fiduciary duty commitment stronger and more specific, these Proposed Revisions to the Standards For Professional Conduct for Certified Financial Planners will enhance CFP client service and assure the public that CFP professionals will reliably act in the best interests of the investor. We strongly support their inclusion in the final revisions to the Standards, and urge the CFP Board to resist any pressures to weaken them.”

AFR Statement: Wells Fargo’s Latest Attempt to Get Away with Fraud

“This Wells Fargo case is yet another demonstration of the harm consumers will suffer if Congress chooses to repeal the CFPB arbitration rule and restore banks’ ‘Get out of Jail Free card.,” said Lisa Donner, Executive Director for Americans for Financial Reform. “It is also yet another reminder why lawbreaking banks are pushing for the rule to be overturned: blocking consumers right to go to court makes it easier for them to rip people off.”

AFR Statement: Dismantling the gainful employment rule will unleash a new wave of waste, fraud, and abuse

“The Department of Education’s action today to eviscerate the Gainful Employment rule is a yet another example of Secretary Betsy DeVos working for wealthy for-profit college executives instead of students striving for a better life,” said Alexis Goldstein, Senior Policy Analyst at Americans for Financial Reform.

AFR in the News: Wells Fargo Scandal Helps Consumer Advocates in CFPB Rule Fight (Bloomberg BNA)

“Consumer groups are invoking Wells Fargo as they seek to persuade a handful of Republican senators to help defeat a potential September vote on a resolution blocking the arbitration rule. ‘We’ve definitely pointed to Wells Fargo as pretty much the poster child for why we need this rule,’ Amanda Werner, campaign manager at consumer groups Americans for Financial Reform and Public Citizen, told Bloomberg BNA.”

AFR in the News: The Great Escape: How Credit Raters Ducked Reform (Bloomberg)

“The issuer-pays model remains an incentive for raters to go easy on clients, says Marcus Stanley, policy director at Americans for Financial Reform… ‘As long as ratings agencies are both central to securities markets and face incentives to inflate ratings and mislead investors, they pose a risk to the financial system…'”

AFR in the News: New U.S. rule on class actions survives first challenge (Reuters)

“A new U.S. rule aimed at restoring consumers’ ability to band together to sue financial companies has survived its first challenge, as a top banking regulator on Monday said he would not petition for it to be suspended… ‘The rule is a well thought-out response to the serious consumer harm of forced arbitration,’ said Brian Marshall, policy counsel for advocacy group Americans for Financial Reform.”

Letter to Regulator: AFR asks Fed to protect consumers in check forgery disputes

“We support the proposed rule but urge the Board to clarify that the presumption be limited to disputes between banks and recommend the Board require banks to maintain original checks for a specified period of time.”