Letters to Regulators: Comments to the CFPB on Enhancing Public Data on Auto Lending
AFREF joined partners in submitting comments to the CFPB in response to their initiative to enhance public data on auto lending.
Tag Archives: Auto Lending
News Release: National Auto Repair Chains Must Stop Offering Predatory Loans Through EasyPay Finance and TAB Bank
WASHINGTON – Today, a coalition of consumer advocacy groups sent letters to major national auto repair chains AAMCO and Precision Tune Auto Care (Icahn Enterprises), Big O Tires and Midas (TBC Corporation), Grease Monkey (FullSpeed Automotive), JiffyLube, and Meineke (Driven Brands) urging their stores and franchisees to stop offering financing through EasyPay Finance and Utah-based TAB Bank, which issue loans at rates up to 189%, even in states where that rate is illegal. The letters can be found here.
Blog: Structural Racism Flourishes in the Auto Lending Market
In much of America, owning a car is necessary to participate in the economy, and to live a full and vibrant life. However, this ticket to opportunity comes at an increasingly steep price – as of 2021, Americans owe $1.42 trillion in auto loan debt.
Letters to Congress: Letter in Support of The Used Car Safety Recall Repair Act
AFR joined a letter to Congress in support of The Used Car Safety Recall Repair Act.
News Release: AFR Statement On House Hearing On Auto Lending Discrimination
“A car is fundamentally important to many Americans ability to get to work and to take care of themselves and their families,” said Rion Dennis, advocacy and legislative strategist, at Americans for Financial Reform. “Congress, and the regulators – including both the CFPB and the FTC – need to take forceful action to end the injustice of people of color being charged more to purchase and drive one.”
TOWS/AFR Statement: New Poll Reveals Strong Public Support to Stop Lending Discrimination
A new poll reveals overwhelming public support for government action to stop lenders from discriminating against borrowers of color. Lawmakers who voted to roll back the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s effort to guard against discrimination in auto lending were steering against the will of their own voters.
AFR in the News: House Votes to Dismantle Bias Rule in Auto Lending (NY Times)
“‘“Companies will put millions of people into more expensive car loans simply because of the color of their skin,, said Rion Dennis, an advocate of financial overhaul at Americans for Financial Reform. ‘By using the Congressional Review Act to wipe out straightforward regulatory guidance, the congressional majority has also opened the door to challenging longstanding efforts to protect workers, consumers, civil rights, the environment and the economy.’”
AFR Statement: AFR Condemns House Vote to Abandon CFPB Auto Lending Guidance
In the era of mass incarceration, racial profiling and unaccountable police brutality, every member of Congress who voted for this bill has to explain why they do not believe people of color deserve the full protection of the federal government, especially given the long documented history of racial discrimination in auto lending.
AFR in the News: Senate Votes to Ease Restrictions on Auto Lending Discrimination (NY Times)
“‘“By voting to roll back the CFPB’s work, senators have emboldened banks and finance companies to engage in racial discrimination by charging millions of people of color more for a car loan than is justified,’ said Rion Dennis of Americans for Financial Reform, an advocacy group. ‘Lawmakers have also opened the door to challenging longstanding agency actions that are crucial to protecting workers, consumers, civil rights, the environment and the economy.’”
AFR in the News: Mulvaney’s Pay-to-Play an “undermining of democracy” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Americans for Financial Reform reported that the financial sector spent $2 billion on political activity in the 2016 election cycle, including $1.1 billion in campaign donations and the rest for lobbying. That’s $3.7 million for every member of Congress.