Americans for Financial Reform

Letters to Congress: Letter in Support of Two Language Access Bills

AFR organized a letter of support for two bills expanding and improving language access for mortgage transactions that will make important strides in improving access to the mortgage market and awareness of the availability of assistance for homeowners who are struggling to keep up with their mortgage payments. LEP borrowers face many challenges that impede their full participation in the consumer marketplace, including, specifically, their ability to obtain and preserve ownership of a home. Tracking and transferring the language preference of LEP borrowers and enhancing the availability and use of services and resources in their preferred languages will significantly improve market access for LEP borrowers at all stages of a mortgage loan.

Letters to Regulators: Letter to CFPB and FTC to Prevent Evictions and Foreclosures

AFREF joined a letter urging the CFPB and the FTC to take immediate action to prevent or limit imminent rental evictions and home foreclosures in the private mortgage market.

News Release: South Carolina Plant Suffers Layoffs at Hands of Corporation Despite PPP Loans

A South Carolina tire factory owned by a global corporation received a substantial loan from the Small Business Administration for pandemic relief while many genuinely small businesses — especially those owned by people of color and women — were unable to access the program.

New Report: Where the Rubber Meets the Road: How a global tire titan got millions in pandemic small business loans

Case study of a South Carolina tire factory owned by a global corporation that received a substantial loan from the Small Business Administration for pandemic relief while many genuinely small businesses were unable to access the program.

Letters to Congress: Joint Letter to House Financial Services on Climate Change, Sustainable Investing and Investor Protections

Sustainable investing is on the rise, and many investors are asking corporations to disclose more information about their climate risks and other environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics. The House Financial Services Subcommittee on Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship and Capital Markets recently held a hearing on

Letters to Congress: Letter in Support of the Nomination of Rohit Chopra as CFPB Director

137 organizations joined AFR in a sign on letter to Congress supporting the nomination of Rohit Chopra as the next CFPB Director.

Letters to Congress: Letter in Support of the Nomination of Gary Gensler to SEC Chair

40 organizations joined AFR in a sign on letter to Congress strongly supporting the nomination of Gary Gensler as the next SEC chair.

a dollar bill on top of a pile of money with scrabble pieces spelling out "tax" on top

News Release: Pass the Ultra-Millionaire Tax So Billionaires Pay Their Fair Share

Wall Street billionaires have escaped paying their fair share of taxes for decades, thanks to laws they themselves have had an outsize influence in shaping. This bill requiring the ultrarich to pay some tax on their wealth, which was too often accumulated through predatory business models that extracted wealth from workers and communities, is an important step forward for economic justice.

Letters to Regulators: AFR Ed Fund Supports SEC Move to Reform Treasury Markets; Calls for More Action

AFR Education Fund sent a comment to the SEC supporting the proposed elimination of regulatory exemptions in government securities markets. The letter also calls for the SEC to make further reforms in fixed income markets.

Blog Post: If we want to renew democracy, we need to tax the ultra-wealthy

Sen. Warren and Rep. Jayapal’s Ultra-Millionaire Tax Act of 2021 could not be a more timely reminder that the United States needs serious policy changes to address massive wealth and income inequality. Wall Street is the second-largest source of billionaire wealth, after the technology industry. While 8 million Americans slipped into poverty and half a million lives were lost to COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic — all with a disproportionately large impact on communities of color — the wealth of U.S. billionaires almost doubled, up $1.3 trillion.