Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) unveiled a resolution urging President Donald Trump to cancel up to $50,000 in federal student debt through executive action. Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) Federal Advocacy Director and Senior Counsel Ashley Harrington released the following statement: We applaud Senators Warren and Schumer for drafting a plan that would...

“Qualified Mortgage” should be defined broadly to ensure that more borrowers are able to gain access to the safest mortgage products and the wealth-building opportunities of homeownership Lenders that engage in pricing discrimination should not receive the QM statutory safe harbor Washington, D.C. – With the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) set to update a rule stemming from the Dodd-Frank...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senators voted down the Senate Majority Leader’s narrow COVID-19 bill, which was introduced earlier this week. As written, the bill fails to provide substantive relief for renters, student loan borrowers, small business owners, unemployed workers, and other people who are still struggling during this pandemic. The bill did not receive bipartisan support. Center for Responsible Lending...

The action leaves protected classes, including people of color, women, people of faith, people with disabilities, and families with children more vulnerable to housing discrimination In issuing the final rule, the Administration even ignored the mortgage industry’s largest lenders and realtors, which opposed the action Washington, D.C. – A primary legal tool used to identify and eliminate discrimination, known as...

The new Preserving Community and Neighborhood Choice rule incorrectly redefines the meaning of fair housing and eliminates important tools for addressing systemic discrimination in housing, weakening the Fair Housing Act. Washington, D.C. – Today, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s new Preserving Community and Neighborhood Choice rule goes into effect, marking a major step backwards in the ongoing...

The timing of the OCC’s embrace of predatory lenders could not be worse. We are in the midst of an unprecedented health crisis and a severe economic crisis, with both crises impacting communities of color more heavily than white communities.  WASHINGTON, D.C. - A proposal by the regulator of the nation’s largest banks would allow predatory lenders to do an...

In public comment letter, civil rights, consumer, and housing groups warn of proposal’s harm and its “acute impact on low- to moderate-income families and families of color” Groups offer recommendations for the housing regulator to fulfill its and the Government-Sponsored Enterprises’ (GSEs) statutory public mission Washington, D.C. – Today, the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) along with a broad coalition...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 2:00 p.m. ET/ 11:00 a.m. PT, the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) will host a virtual panel of housing experts to discuss how the COVID crisis has impacted housing. Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Mark Calabria will share the agency’s response to the current public health crisis, followed by a panel...

Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced yesterday that a fee from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which FHFA previously approved and which makes refinancing more expensive for mortgages backed by those companies, will be delayed until December 1. FHFA also said the fee will not apply to refinance loans with balances below $125,000. The fee is...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A broad coalition of organizations representing the housing, financial services industries as well as public interest groups issued the following statement on the GSEs’ new adverse market fee: Wednesday night’s surprise announcement by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the GSEs) conflicts with the Administration’s recent executive actions urging federal agencies to take all measures within their authority...