Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Today, small business owners (full statements below) from Illinois, Texas, Maryland, California, Washington, and North Carolina joined with U.S. Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC), and the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) and Small Business Majority (SBM) to Demand the Small Business Administration (SBA) reform the “good faith error” rule, one of more than 60...

CRL: 85 percent of survey respondents suffer negative consequences from larger, longer-term loans with triple-digit interest WASHINGTON, DC – High-cost installment loans, taking a rising share of the lending market over the past decade, often compound borrowers’ financial problems, according to new research released today by the Center for Responsible Lending. The report, “ Unsafe Harbor: The Persistent Harms of...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The market for personal loans is massive and growing, yet the fintechs and other non-bank lenders who make such loans are not subject to regular oversight by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which has “created an unlevel playing field and a large risk to consumers,” write the Consumer Bankers Association (CBA) and the Center for Responsible...

Washington, D.C. — The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), American Business Immigrant Coalition (ABIC), and more than 20 consumer, civil rights and advocacy groups and lenders, recently submitted a letter urging the U.S. Treasury Department and U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to reverse the Good Faith Error Rule that has prevented more than 300,000 small business owners from obtaining forgiveness...

400% Interest Payday Loans Lead Borrowers into Long-Term Debt Trap DURHAM, NC – The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) today released the first episode of its “In Focus” video series, designed to break down complex financial issues and make them easier to understand. In the series, CRL financial experts will help people recognize and prevent financial exploitation, to promote financial...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new Morning Consult poll commissioned by the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) found that the federal student loan payment pause has helped struggling borrowers pay for daily living expenses and other debts. Of those surveyed, 37% said the payment pause helped them pay for gas, food and transportation while 31% said it helped them pay for...

Debt Buyers’ Lawsuit Assembly Lines Should Be Dismantled for Lack of Appropriate Documentation of Debt Raleigh, NC – Yesterday, the North Carolina Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Townes v. Portfolio Recovery Associates (PRA), for which the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) and several other organizations submitted an amicus brief. The brief urges North Carolina courts to...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Biden Administration announced today that it will cancel $10,000 of student loan debt for borrowers who earn less than $125,000 as individual tax filers and $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients, providing billions in relief to the nation’s borrowers. The administration will also extend the federal student loan payment pause through December 31, 2022. In response, Jaylon...

Proposed mega-bank would be the sixth largest in the U.S. Federal bank regulators haven’t formally rejected a merger application in over 15 years, but Biden Administration has highlighted market concentration WASHINGTON, D.C. – Amid growing concern about corporate consolidation, the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) and Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund are leading a letter calling for the Federal...

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Education announced yesterday that it will discharge all remaining federal student loans for borrowers who attended ITT Technical Institute (ITT) from January 2005 through September 2016. The relief, $3.9 billion in total, will benefit about 208,000 borrowers. In response, Jaylon Herbin, outreach and policy manager for the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), made...