Press Releases

A Center for Responsible Lending analysis of two new reports on the payday lending industry from the California Department of Business Oversight (DBO) shows that payday lenders, who advertise their products as a one-time quick fix for consumers facing a cash crunch, generate 76% of their revenue from borrowers who take out 7 or more loans per year. The DBO's Annual report and Industry Survey come as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is considering new rules aimed at curtailing abuses in the payday lending industry. The Department of Defense also recently proposed new rules to

For-profit college attendees are more likely to incur unmanageable student loan debt and be unable to graduate than their peers attending other schools, according to new research released today by the Center for Responsible Lending. African-American and Latino students in particular have a high risk of experiencing these poor outcomes at for-profit colleges, which have a long record of engaging in deceptive practices to pressure students to enroll. "Our research shows the urgent need for the Department of Education to issue a strong Gainful Employment rule regulating for-profit colleges," said

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed an earlier decision by the District Court for the Southern District of New York. In August 2013, the State of New York issued cease-and-desist orders to more than 35 payday lenders offering and making internet loans to state residents at annual interest rates in excess of 300 percent – more than 10 times higher than what is permitted by New York state law. Beyond tribal lenders, these loans also included foreign ones with stateside headquarters where no interest rate caps existed for short-term loans. New York officials also alerted banks and other

The 2013 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data confirms a persistent lack of access to the conventional mortgage market for African-Americans, Latinos, and middle class families. It is well documented that people of color and low wealth families received a disproportionate share of foreclosures due to being targets of mortgage loans with risky features that were not well underwritten. Today, these same populations are minimally participating in the mortgage market while it is relatively affordable due to historically low interest rates. As well, these borrowers are more likely to be served

Today, the Department of Defense released proposed rules to further protect service members and their families from predatory lending practices. If fully implemented, these rules will strengthen protections under the Military Lending Act and close loopholes unscrupulous lenders use to target military families with unconscionable high-cost loans. In response, Center for Responsible Lending president Mike Calhoun issued the following statement: The Department of Defense is taking effective action to protect service members and their families from abusive lending practices. No more loopholes. No

"This proposed regulation, in conjunction with the important efforts of our military service organizations and advocates, veteran service organizations, and responsible lenders, would help ensure that our service members and their families are as far beyond the reach of financial exploitation as possible." Department of Defense, Press Release, September 26, 2014 Today, the Department of Defense released proposed rules to further protect service members and their families from predatory lending practices. Below is a summary of the changes. For more information or to speak with an expert

This week, CitiBank became the latest in a band of banks to unveil a new checking account – one without checks or overdraft fees. This move not only underlines the rapidly declining use of checks – but also awareness about the harmful financial effects bank fees have on consumers, especially economically vulnerable consumers. Rachel Anderson of CRL comments: Excessive and unpredictable bank fees have a punishing impact on financially vulnerable Americans. These fees can drain accounts and family wealth – and push some families out of the banking system entirely. Of these fees, overdraft can be

This week, the Department of Education released new data about student loan default rates – indicating that for-profit college students continue to experience disproportionately high levels of default. Maura Dundon, senior policy counsel at CRL, issued the following statement: New data released yesterday by the Department of Education show that for-profit colleges, once again, account for a disproportionate share of the nation's student loan defaults. This poor performance further justifies the need for a strong "gainful employment" rule, which is currently being drafted by the Department. For

This week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced lawsuits against two payday lenders. Both payday lending networks are accused of illegally extracting interest payments and fees from consumer accounts without consumer knowledge or consent. Both agencies have taken legal action to halt the lenders' activities. Gary Kalman, executive vice president of CRL, issued the following statement: This week's announcements by the FTC and the CFPB are only further evidence that payday lenders engage in abusive, predatory, and even illegal activities

Yesterday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it intends to supervise the largest nonbank based auto lenders in a new "larger participant" proposed rule. The Bureau also announced that it has required indirect auto lenders to pay another $56 million to 190,000 consumers as redress for abusive practices, including dealer markup. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the lenders covered by the proposed rule accounted for more than half of the $355 billion auto loan market last year. Many lenders covered by the new CFPB rule are also deeply invested in the