Survey Finds Payday Borrowers Suffering Financial Hardships

Washington, DC - A survey of Detroit households suggests payday loans are no solution for those in financial need. The survey by University of Michigan law professor Michael S. Barr found that respondents using payday loans were more likely to file for bankruptcy, be evicted, or face utility shut-offs than respondents who had not taken a payday loan. Payday lenders have long argued that their loans are helpful to people who can't quite make it to their next paycheck, but research from the Center for Responsible Lending, based on data from state regulators and the payday lending industry itself

Eakes: Spin and 'outright lies' on cause of economic crisis

This guest column appeared in the Herald Sun (Durham, NC). During times of economic chaos, there is often a tendency to rewrite history. Today, while nearly everyone agrees that reckless subprime loans started this financial crisis, the questions of how and why these loans were made have triggered a frenzy of finger-pointing. Unfortunately, too many fingers are pointing in the wrong direction. Most troubling are accusations blaming the subprime crisis on programs that encouraged responsible homeownership and wealth-building. Some are making the outrageous claim that the government forced

Congress Must Address Foreclosures

Now that Congress has passed the $700 billion bailout bill to address the credit crunch, there is an urgent need to address the root causes of today's economic crisis – massive foreclosures in our communities. Going forward, CRL calls on Congress to act quickly to assist families facing foreclosure. "Any plan that fails to stop foreclosures will ultimately fail to fix the crisis," said Michael Calhoun, president of CRL. "Wall Street firms and banks caused a massive foreclosure crisis in this country, and this bailout provides no meaningful way to end it. It doesn't stop the epidemic of

Payday loans strip wealth from communities of color

Prop 200 will entrench an industry that preys on Arizona's working families Read the Report >> As Arizona citizens consider a measure the payday lending industry, based out of state, has paid to put on the ballot this November and spent millions marketing, they should know the facts about Proposition 200 and payday lending, say national experts and state advocates. A new report from the Center for Responsible Lending sheds some light on the measure and its expected impact. First, Prop 200 offers no reform of the predatory practice of payday lending. Second, it would, in fact, make 400 percent

Proposed Bailout Does Virtually Nothing to Assist Troubled Homeowners

As civil rights, consumer, and housing organizations that represent homeowners and communities devastated by the foreclosure crisis, we are extremely disappointed that the proposed bailout package does virtually nothing to assist troubled borrowers. Provisions discussed in both the House and the Senate to assist homeowners modify their loans and save their homes have been largely abandoned. These provisions would have addressed the root cause of the current economic crisis by helping to stop the decline in home prices and would have given relief through the bankruptcy courts, required

Banker Bailout is Neither Effective nor Fair

Today the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) registered major disappointment with a bailout proposal that fails to address the root causes of today's economic crisis. While agreeing that the current situation calls for substantial government intervention, the Center says the plan that emerged is neither effective nor fair. "Any plan that fails to stop foreclosures will ultimately fail to fix the crisis," said Michael Calhoun, president of CRL. "Wall Street firms and banks caused a massive foreclosure crisis in this country, and this bailout provides no meaningful way to end it. It doesn't

Homeowner: People like me are left out and we’re the victims

My name is Candace Weaver and I'm an eighth grade teacher at Roland Grise Middle School in Wilmington, North Carolina. I teach 8th grade language arts and social studies. In December 2005, I refinanced my house to pay bills. My husband was recovering from a heart attack and was out of work. We took out an adjustable rate mortgage with an initial rate of 8.85% that eventually went up to 11.375% two years later. I didn't understand I had an adjustable rate mortgage that could go up from 8.85% to 11.85% after two years. I certainly did not know it could go up as high as 15.85% and that it had a

What Leaders Are Saying About Bailout Plan

A Sample of What Leaders Are Saying … Wall Street aggressively marketed loans that were damaging, deceptive, and led to the worst foreclosure epidemic in decades. The government's so-called solution bails out the very companies that were behind this crisis, but does absolutely nothing to help people stay in their homes. This country is facing the greatest lost of wealth since the Great Depression and Congress needs to step up for ordinary citizens." - Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Founder/President Rainbow Push Coalition * * * Government regulators were blind while mortgage lenders and investors

House passes Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights

The Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights passage today in the House signals a return to real consumer protections and a welcome change to credit card company business as usual. The Center for Responsible Lending commends Rep. Carolyn Maloney and Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank who championed the legislation, which will restore some balance and fairness to a regulatory system that has been too one-sided for far too long. We call on the Senate Leadership to follow the actions of the House in moving a companion bill toward the same outcome. For more information: Kathleen Day at (202) 349

Eakes: Bailout Must Give Homeowners Access to the Courts

Hello, I'm Martin Eakes, founder and head of Self Help, one of the nation's largest community development institutions, and I'm also the CEO of the Center for Responsible Lending. I appreciate the invitation from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights to be here today. The Paulson $700 billion bailout simply will not work to stabilize the economy if it does not address the underlying problem of home foreclosures and falling home prices. As proposed, the bailout has virtually nothing of benefit to middle-class homeowners facing distress. According to Credit Suisse, 6.5 million homes will be