CRL in the News

“Everyone deserves to be their Flamin’ Hot self, but student loans can create a significant burden on college graduates – especially at HBCUs where students graduate with 19% more debt than those at non-HBCUs,” said Tina Mahal, senior vice president of marketing at Frito-Lay, citing Center for Responsible Lending data. “The Flamin’ Hot University scholarship fund at TSU was designed to ease some of the financial pressures student loans bring so graduates can focus on unleashing their hottest potential.”

Some cash advance apps push customers to pay a “tip” to the app to be able to access their funds. The term “tip” is effectively a way for apps to disguise fees, said Yasmin Farahi, deputy director of state policy and senior policy council at the Center for Responsible Lending. Consumers often don’t know that these fees are optional and cannot figure out how to opt out of them, she added. Employer-backed early wage services don’t ask for tips, but they may begin to if regulators allow it in the future, Andrew Kushner, policy counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending, told Vox. The fees can

Consumer advocates criticized Republican efforts to roll back the aid. “We condemn this move to block a plan that will provide significant financial relief to low-income borrowers and communities of color,” said Jaylon Herbin, director of federal campaigns at the Center for Responsible Lending.

"We condemn this move to block a plan that will provide significant financial relief to low-income borrowers and communities of color," said Herbin. "SAVE provides hope for borrowers as the administration continues to fight alongside advocacy groups to find other ways to achieve broad-based student loan relief. We continue to support President Biden in his quest to make our educational finance system fairer for all borrowers and oppose harmful legislation, such as these CRAs, that will set our already flawed student loan repayment system back to the pre-pandemic era."

The latest research from CRL suggests that for consumers who repeatedly pay fees and "tips" for expedited EWA funds through popular third-party EWA service providers like MoneyLion, Earnin and Dave, it amounts to a digital payday loan. In a survey CRL conducted in May among 300 users of direct-to-consumer EWA services, 39% said they feel like they must keep on using these fee-based products to meet ongoing expenses.

While the 1963 March on Washington brought more than 200,000 Americans to the nation’s capital in a historic call for jobs and economic justice, an event billed as a ‘continuation’ – not a commemoration will take place August 26 at the Lincoln Memorial. Co-sponsored by the National Action Network and the Drum Major Institute, organizers will focus on continuing the age-old fight for democracy, social justice, and civil rights.

The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) commends President Biden for exploring new options to provide relief. In the meantime, here are eight ways borrowers can prepare for repayment...

Banks that are starting to work with EWA providers to streamline connections for their commercial customers should pay close attention to what's happening in this tug-of-war over whether EWA will be considered a loan or not—according to Andrew Kushner, who is policy counsel of the nonprofit Center for Responsible Lending, which analyzes financial practices and works with the industry and regulators to improve the state of lending, especially for marginalized groups. Kushner explained why there's a widespread perception among banks and fintechs that EWA is not a loan and not subject to the

Consumer advocates like Andrew Kushner, senior policy counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending, argue that some EWA services essentially act as payday loans--or "short-term, high-cost loans," as defined by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau--and should be treated with the same regulatory scrutiny.

Harper’s remarks could be read as a thinly veiled criticism of CUNA and NAFCU for allying themselves with payday lenders and banks in attempts to strip the CFPB of its independence, moves that the Center for Responsible Lending has said would render the CFPB toothless.