CRL in the News
Tim Worstall recently took issue with the Center for Responsible Lending’s position that payday loans should be capped at a 36% annual rate. He seemed troubled by the fact that with such a rate cap in place, payday lenders choose to no longer make their predatory loans.
State lawmakers have again taken aim at the growing student-debt crisis in New Jersey, releasing a bill that former Gov. Chris Christie let die when he left office.
You’ve seen them scattered along the outskirts of highways. It seems that around every corner, you’re bombarded with the opportunity to “get cash now!” And though the promise of instant funds is captivating, how wise is it to get that cash now?
Not very, according to statistics.
Payday loans, as they’re commonly referred to, are less about receiving money instantly and more about the heaps of interest piled atop the instant cash.
Civil rights organizations are urging the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to step up oversight of the student-loan servicing industry and root out discrimination.
It has been two years since the bureau identified student-loan servicing as posing substantial risk of credit discrimination and pledged further investigation into disparate outcomes for borrowers. That level of evaluation requires records and data from servicing companies that manage student-loan payments on behalf of the federal government and private lenders.
In a bid to give consumers more choice when it comes to credit card and other disputes with corporations, two Democratic lawmakers are pursuing the Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act.
The bill would do away with forced arbitration clauses relating to credit card disputes. This means consumers would have the choice of opting for arbitration after a dispute erupts, instead of being forced into arbitration.
Last month 400 extremely fortunate Morehouse College graduates flipped their tassels to the amazing revelation that they would be starting their post-college careers without student debt. Richard Smith, an incredibly generous billionaire from Texas, has pledged to pay off all of their student loans.
The rate of Black homeownership in America – now at 41.1 percent, according to 2019 U. S. Census numbers – is even lower than it was when the U. S. Fair Housing Act was signed into law 51 years ago on April 11, 1968.
This means Black homeownership is 32.1 percentage points lower than that of Whites, which stands at 73.2 percent. It also means Black homeownership is 6.3 percentage points lower than that of Latino-Americans, which stands at 47.4 percent.
This spring, the Community Home Lenders Association (CHLA) hosted a roundtable in Washington, D.C., on federal government mortgage programs and their role in ensuring access to credit and affordable homeownership. This included a discussion on government mortgage programs and government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) focusing on mortgage lending since the housing crisis of 2008.
Consumers saddled with student loan debt often have to delay financial goals, like buying a home. But for those who want the benefits of ownership before their student debt is paid off, Fannie Mae has options that can make it easier to qualify and handle the monthly payments.
There’s the West Chester, Pa., woman irate over the $25 broadcast and sports fees she pays every month though she never watches sports—and about the $150 cancellation fee when she quit her provider.
Or the traveler in Texas who found that every time he went through a highway toll, the car-rental company dinged him $15 on top of the toll price, leading to an extra $90 in “administrative fees.” “They will charge $15 to process even a 31 cent toll charge,” he says. “Completely ridiculous!”