Last week, newly confirmed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent granted billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team access to all of the federal government payments data. Musk’s team of tech bros are currently upending and disrupting the entire federal government without clear statutory authority or congressional approval.
Christine Chen Zinner, a senior lawyer for Americans for Financial Reform, a progressive consumer advocacy group, said: “Those billions that Chopra got back for consumers meant less profit for the industry. If Trump really cared about everyday people, he’d keep Chopra around.”
“Signs are mounting that the second Trump administration will try, like the first iteration, to undermine the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s mission and capacity to safeguard the rights and wallets of families throughout the United States,” Americans for Financial Reform said in a statement last week.
Since Capital One announced plans to take over Discover, reasons to oppose the creation of this new megabank have only grown. As federal regulators convene a hearing today on this risky merger, they must face the key arguments, which public interest groups will make, against it: the merger would reduce competition in the already concentrated credit card industry, it poses risks to the stability of the financial system, it would raise network fees for merchants, and it does not deliver for communities.
A new centralized public database that catalogs violations of consumer protection laws by nonbank financial companies like payday lenders and debt collectors will aid state and federal enforcement efforts that often operate under the radar and are hard to track. The repeat misconduct registry will help remedy these regulatory blind spots and make it easier for regulatory agencies across the local, state, and federal levels to more easily spot bad actors. Members of the public, investors, creditors, business partners, and consumer advocacy organizations will also be able to more easily track financial firms subject to law enforcement orders due to repeat consumer violations.
Americans for Financial Reform (AFR) and partners led a letter the House Financial Services Committee (HFSC) to express our opposition to a legislation package that the committee is scheduled to markup this week. The collection of bills would erode consumer protections, enable predatory lenders, and hamstring the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s ability to fulfill its mandate
Americans for Financial Reform made the following comments on item marked up by the House Financial Services Committee yesterday, On the bills related to climate and financial regulation, On the bills related to fintech regulation, On the bills related to systemic risk
AFREF joined a comment letter that strongly supports the CFPB’s proposed safe harbor of $8 for credit card late fees. The CFPB provided ample evidence that this amount is fair, reasonable, and proportional to the costs incurred by issuers for late payments.
AFR, Center for Responsible Lending and Consumer Federation of America led a letter to Congress opposing a package of bills that undermine the CFPB.
Washington, D.C. — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) proposed rulemaking to require that regulated nonbank entities annually register with the CFPB regarding their use of specific terms and conditions in form contracts for consumer financial products and services, will reinforce the agency’s ongoing efforts to bring transparency and accountability on how financial industries operate, according to Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund and consumer coalition advocates.