About CRL
Eliminating Abusive Lending & Protecting Economic Opportunity for All
Get To Know CRL
Learn what CRL does to help families.Since 2002, the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) has protected homeownership and family wealth by working to eliminate abusive financial practices. Our mission grows directly from our affiliation with Self-Help (Visit Self-Help's website), our founder and one of the nation's largest non-profit community development lenders. For 30 years, Self-Help has worked to create ownership and economic opportunity in underserved communities through responsible loans and financial services.
Working For Ordinary Americans
The financial troubles of this decade have shown that too many lending practices are stacked against ordinary Americans, particularly lower-income families who are struggling to gain a foothold in the middle class. All too often, lenders have strong incentives to engage in unfair, deceptive practices and to aggressively market loans designed to fail. Bad lending practices systematically drain resources from families, ruin communities, and weaken the national economy.
We know this can change. Our vision is to transform today's broken lending systems into a fair, responsible and transparent market for sustainable loans that build stronger families and a stronger economy for all.
Our Funders
The Center for Responsible Lending is supported by a consortium of organizations, including the Annie E. Casey Foundation; California Community Foundation; F. B. Heron Foundation; Ford Foundation, Friedman Family Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation; Open Society Institute; Paulson & Co. Inc., Sandler Foundation of the Jewish Community Endowment Fund; Silicon Valley Community Foundation; Y&H Soda Foundation; and Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation; as well as Google Grants and Working Assets/CREDO.
