Press Releases

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...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Trump Administration issued four executive orders Saturday related to the COVID-19 pandemic that fail to recognize and adequately address the magnitude of the ongoing crisis and the need for massive reform. The orders are weak and inadequate, and they leave out millions who are struggling to survive in grim circumstances. We need comprehensive legislation that rises...

WASHINGTON, DC – The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, NAACP, National CAPACD, and UnidosUS  submitted a joint comment to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in response to the agency’s Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Supplemental NPRM) that fails to protect consumers against stale, time-barred “zombie” debt, for which the statute of limitations has...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Center for Responsible Lending, National Consumer Law Center, and National Community Reinvestment Coalition filed an amicus brief in Lacewell v. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), in support of the plaintiff, the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS), against the OCC’s plan to issue “special purpose national bank” charters to nonbank lenders...

Washington, D.C. — The Bank Policy Institute (BPI), Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) and Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) today urged Congress to impose a three-year moratorium on industrial loan company licensing applications. The moratorium on Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation approvals would provide Congress time to close the ILC loophole and ensure ILCs and their parent companies don’t pose...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, State Attorneys General from California, Illinois, and New York filed a lawsuit challenging the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s (OCC) recently announced final rule that encourages online nonbank lenders to launder their loans through banks so they can offer high-cost triple-digit loans in states where such loans are illegal. The rule was strongly opposed...

WASHINGTON D.C. – Last night, the U.S. Senate unveiled a $1 trillion rescue package called the HEALS Act in response to the ongoing public health and economic crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill falls far short of what is needed to support families and businesses in this crisis. It fails to include additional funding to state and local...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - This week, President Trump issued an unconstitutional memorandum barring undocumented immigrants from being counted in the Census when lawmakers redraw Congressional Districts next year. Center for Responsible Lending President Mike Calhoun released the following statement: This unconstitutional memorandum is effectively robbing immigrants of their humanity, agency, and dignity as contributing and integral members of American society and...

Fair housing advocates denounce Trump’s newest effort to eliminate a critical tool to desegregate communities and call on the president to instead concentrate on ensuring housing equity during a pandemic. Washington, D.C.- Today, a coalition of civil rights, affordable housing and consumer advocacy organizations condemned the move by the Trump administration to eliminate a critical tool for addressing systemic racism...