AFR’s Marcus Stanley: “Why are we thinking that the [financial] industry and the industry lobby knows better than the regulators? To say that Dodd-Frank is some straitjacket ignores the [truth] that regulators have lots of chances to adjust [its implementation].”
“The committee’s approval of these bills had not been in doubt. In fact, there had been speculation that in one or more cases, a substantial number of Democrats might join the Republican majority in their support. But that did not happen… HR 414 passed on a straight party-line vote, while HR 1090 won the backing of only a single Democrat… and HR 1266 just two… That qualifies as a victory.”
“Industry forces made a big effort to win more Democratic votes. But in the end, they fell short: the Financial Services Committee approved HR 1266, but in a largely partisan vote that dimmed its prospects for becoming law. With their hard push, however, the bill’s backers made it very clear just who is pushing for a commission instead of a single director, and why.”
“On behalf of Americans for Financial Reform (AFR), we are writing in opposition to HR 414, the “Burdensome Data Collection Relief Act”. This legislation would eliminate the requirement in Section 953(b) of the Dodd-Frank Act that firms publicly disclose the ratio between the pay of their chief executive officer and the pay of the median worker at the firm. The SEC has recently completed the rulemaking to implement this rule, and investors and the public are now anticipating that that important data will become available. “
“We are writing as organizations that strongly support the Department of Labor’s (DOL) efforts to strengthen protections for working families and retirees by requiring the financial professionals they turn to for retirement investment advice to act in their best interests. As such, we oppose H.R. 1090, the misnamed “Retail Investor Protection Act,” and urge you to vote NO when the bill comes up for a vote in the Financial Services Committee. “
“On behalf of Americans for Financial Reform, we are writing to urge your opposition to HR 957, to establish an independent Inspector General for the CFPB. The proposal would not benefit consumers and, further, is an effort by the committee to make government bigger, not better.”
“We are writing to express our opposition to H.R. 1266 (Rep. Neugebauer), the “Financial Product Safety Commission Act of 2015.” This bill would change the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB); instead of being led by a single director, it would be headed by a Commission of five members…”
“On behalf of the undersigned organizations, we urge you to oppose H.R. 1737, the so-called “Reforming CFPB Indirect Auto Financing Guidance Act.” This legislation is simply an effort to stop the CFPB from enforcing laws against discrimination. H.R. 1737 hides its intent behind a smokescreen of claims about process and regulatory jurisdiction. However, the bill is really about the unfair and discriminatory impact of car dealer interest rate markups. “
“On behalf of Americans for Financial Reform, the leading public interest coalition that supported enactment of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank) and its members, including the undersigned, we write both to explain the importance of the Act and to demonstrate its constitutionality. While numerous opponents of financial reform have challenged the act’s constitutionality, none have prevailed, in any court.”
“In numerous previous comments, AFR has raised serious concerns about the Commission rules and guidance that exempt foreign subsidiaries of U.S. banks, or U.S. subsidiaries of foreign entities that are highly active on Wall Street, from a wide range of Dodd-Frank derivatives rules. Given the global character of the derivatives market, we believe that such cross-border exemptions create the possibility for large-scale evasion of U.S. rules.”