Press Releases

Advocates at the Consumer Federation of America, the National Consumer Law Center, the Center for Economic Justice, Consumer Watchdog, the Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project and the Center for Responsible Lending strongly oppose the decision of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) – the federal regulator that oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – to halt Fannie Mae's recent efforts...

Today's announcement by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provides a welcome and critically important national standard for discrimination in housing and housing lending. Fair housing is fundamental to every family's pursuit of the American Dream. By issuing this disparate impact rule, HUD reaffirmed the nation's commitment to fairness for all. CRL lauds the vigilance of the entire...

We're pleased that President Obama has re-nominated Richard Cordray as Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Under Director Cordray's leadership, the CFPB has struck an important balance between improving key consumer protections and preserving access to credit and financial services. Its work is benefitting American families, responsible lenders, and the overall economy. The CFPB should be allowed to continue...

New rules from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will benefit millions of Americans by fixing several key problems that have plagued mortgage servicing. The rules establish basic standards such as requiring a timely application of monthly mortgage payments and a prompt correction of errors. The rules also restrict servicers from forcing borrowers into high-cost homeowners' insurance policies—a common, needless and...

Joint Press Release with the North Carolina Justice Center After a campaign by consumer advocates and state leaders, a bank dropped its harmful payday lending program in North Carolina. Payday loans have been illegal in North Carolina for more than a decade, but that hasn't stopped all payday lending. For the past year, Regions Bank has used federal banking law...

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's new rules generally strike a balanced, reasonable approach to mortgage lending and implement important consumer protections. The standard CFPB establishes for a safe, well-underwritten mortgage is appropriately broad enough to include the vast majority of creditworthy home owners, and it is clear enough for lenders and borrowers alike to understand. And the rules preserve legal...

Five United States Senators—Senators Richard Blumenthal, Sherrod Brown, Richard Durbin, Charles Schumer, and Tom Udall—have asked federal regulators http://rspnsb.li/UBdcq6 to stop banks from making predatory payday loans. The banks in question are making payday loans with triple-digit interest rates, essentially duplicating the storefront payday businesses that routinely trap lower-income borrowers in long-term harmful debt. In a letter dated January 2...

In the first report of its kind, the Center for Responsible Lending examines consumer lending markets across-the-board and finds that—despite major gains in regulatory reforms—predatory lending continues to undermine American households trying to rebuild their finances after the recession. View or download the report. The State of Lending in America and its Impact on U.S. Households ( State of Lending)...

The Center for Responsible Lending and the Financial Services Roundtable today asked Congress to extend the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act, which is set to expire at year's end. "This tax law has bi-partisan support and is critical to helping homeowners and communities struggling with the ongoing foreclosure crisis," the two organizations said in joint letters to House and Senate...

Statement of CRL President Mike Calhoun on today's report by HUD on the FHA's financial status FHA has played a critical role during the housing crisis and the economic downturn. It provided credit to families who otherwise would not have been able to buy homes. This has helped new home owners, but also helped stabilize neighborhoods and communities and boost...