It is urgent that the Supreme Court hear the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau appeal of an erroneous decision that declared the funding mechanism of this vital federal agenda unconstitutional.
AFREF led thirteen partners in submitting a comment letter in response to a Department of Commerce request for information on the implementation of the CHIPS incentives program. The letter describes how stock buybacks and outsized executive compensation packages undermine innovation and inclusive economic growth, and details the semiconductor industry’s track record of massive spending on stock buybacks and CEO compensation. It then recommends bright-line rules to restrict stock buybacks and executive compensation, as well as pro-worker policies that would promote innovation and inclusive economic growth.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 8, 2022 CONTACT: Carter Dougherty carter@ourfinancialsecurity.org (202) 251-6700 Collapse of Major Crypto Exchange FTX Is a Reminder of Crypto’s Instability Consumer Advocacy Groups Urge Regulators to Step Up Scrutiny; Warn Congress to Avoid Watered-Down Policy Responses Washington, DC – Today’s announcement
Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund (AFREF) submitted two comments to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in response to their request for information on climate-related financial risk as pertinent to the derivatives markets and underlying commodities markets. A coalition letter submitted jointly by AFREF, Amazon Watch,
“Private equity firms have a long track record of being extractive — that is, extracting wealth from their portfolio companies,” said Carter Dougherty, spokesman for the Americans for Financial Reform, which advocates for regulation of private equity. “When you see Cerberus shaking $4 billion out of a company in a difficult industry like groceries, it’s not out of bounds to say this is yet another episode of industry abuses.”
AFREF sent comments calling on the Federal Home Loan Banks to substantially increase funding for the Affordable Housing Program, and enact executive compensation reform if the banking system is going to continue to benefit from significant public subsidies.
AFREF joined experts in the field in submitting comments calling on the FHFA Office of Financial Technology to ensure that new applications of fintech to housing finance do not violate consumer protections or fair housing violations. Specific recommendations are made to avoid algorithmic bias and e-signature fraud, along with a general principle of caution when approving new fintech practices.
“A CBDC format that has Big Tech running the back end is just another backdoor way for them to encroach on financial services,” says Mark Hays, a senior policy analyst with Americans for Financial Reform, a policy advocacy group that has been skeptical of CBDCs.