sign for the CFPB outside a building

Letters to Regulators: Comment on the CFPB’s ANPR Regarding Consumer Access to Financial Records

AFR joined a letter with our partners The National Consumer Law Center, Center for Responsible Lending, Consumer Action, Consumer Federation of America, and USPIRG commenting on the CFPB’s Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding consumer access to financial records. The letter responded to several questions from the CFPB to assist in developing a proposed rule to implement Section 1033 of the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. It called for a rule that would ensure control and protection for consumers accessing their own account data.

the capitol building

Letters to Congress: Letter Supporting the Nomination of Rep. Marcia Fudge as the Next HUD Secretary

AFR joined a letter expressing strong support for the nomination of Rep. Marcia Fudge as the next Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The letter cited Rep. Fudge’s stand-out qualifications, her long track record of working across party lines and with a wide range of stakeholders, and her demonstrated lifelong commitment to advancing the civil rights of all people. It urged the Senate to support her prompt confirmation.

News Release: Comment on Biden Administration Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis

The Biden Administration today issued an Executive Order initiating an ambitious government-wide effort to tackle the climate crisis. Just one week into his term, President Biden has already re-entered the U.S. into the Paris Agreement and appointed strong climate leaders. What we need next from the Administration is a more detailed plan for how our federal financial regulators should engage in this effort. Financial regulation and supervision are pivotal tools the Biden Administration can use to help address the climate crisis in an equitable way.

In The News: Wall Street Insider Turned Tough Market Cop: Biden’s Pick To Head SEC (NPR)

If he’s confirmed to run the SEC, there will be a lot that needs fixing, says Marcus Stanley, who worked with Gensler as a Senate staffer after the financial crisis. Stanley is now the policy director of Americans for Financial Reform. “It’s an absolutely critical regulator,” says Stanley, about the SEC. But, he says, “the SEC as an organization needs some change.” He says perhaps more than any other regulator, the SEC “continued with its pre-2008 record of deregulation, even after the financial crisis.”

the White House

Joint Letter: Letter to President Biden Opposing Any Weakening of Federal Securities Laws

Americans for Financial Reform joined a letter to the Biden Administration urging them not to weaken the securities laws through the further expansion and deregulation of the private offering marketplace. The letter warns that further expanding the pool of securities exempt from the disclosure and investor protections afforded by the federal securities laws has the potential to damage economic recovery, including by increasing the probability of fraud and hindering the efficient allocation of capital.