Research & Policy

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which supplements the earnings of low-to-moderate income working families, returns over $44 billion each year to these households and their communities and lifts approximately five million people above the poverty line. Unfortunately, paid tax preparers have weakened the economic impact of the EITC by over $600 million a year by offering Refund Anticipation Loans...

It's the rare car buyer who walks out of a dealership convinced they got the absolute best deal on their purchase. CRL researchers have closely scrutinized dubious car lending practices – using data derived from industry sources and results from a consumer survey – so that buyers might be better informed and get a fairer shake. "Car Trouble: Predatory Auto...

Congress has an opportunity to prevent another mortgage fiasco by passing stronger protections on home lending. Americans are clear about wanting more accountability throughout the lending chain: Two-thirds of voters surveyed said Wall Street should be accountable for buying loans that put borrowers at serious risk of foreclosure. And 84% believe mortgage brokers should have a legal responsibility to act...

These findings were obtained primarily from CRL research on overdraft loans. Total costs vs. funds extended: Total cost per year consumers pay in overdraft fees: $ 23.7 billion. Total funds extended by institutions to cover consumers' overdrafts: $ 21.3 billion. This means consumers had to repay $45 billion for $21.3 billion in very short-term credit. Mostly debit cards and small...

Survey confirms public support for cracking down on high-cost lending As Congress debates various financial reforms designed to revive the economy, the Center for Responsible Lending has conducted a national survey to measure public support for one strategy on the table: a 36 percent cap on annual interest rates for consumer loans. The survey found high levels of support for...

Consumers are being hit with fees amounting to triple-digit interest rates on loans they did not ask for—and in many cases cannot afford—when they overdraw their bank accounts through checks, electronic transfers, debit card purchases, and ATM withdrawals. This is possible because the Federal Reserve Board has refused to close a loophole in the rules implementing the Truth in Lending...

The Center for Responsible Lending, along with Consumer Action, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, National Association of Consumer Advocates, National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients), and U.S. PIRG provide the following comments regarding the Federal Reserve Board's proposed rule to amend Regulation E pursuant to the Electronic Funds Transfer Act. Summary of recommendations: Revisit the...

New CRL analysis finds that California's payday lenders overwhelmingly locate in African-American and Latino neighborhoods, even after controlling for income and other factors, draining $247 million in the process Payday loans trap working households in long-term debt at annual interest rates of over 400 percent. In California and elsewhere, African Americans and Latinos make up a disproportionate share of payday...

New CRL analysis finds that California's payday lenders overwhelmingly locate in African-American and Latino neighborhoods, even after controlling for income and other factors, draining $247 million in the process Payday loans trap working households in long-term debt at annual interest rates of over 400 percent. In California and elsewhere, African Americans and Latinos make up a disproportionate share of payday...

Allow qualified homeowners to restructure mortgages under court supervision (H.R. 1106/S. 61) Restore confidence in the housing market by strengthening mortgage lending practices and correcting perverse business incentives to make bad loans (H.R. 1728) Reduce tax burdens related to loan modifications that undermine foreclosure prevention Reduce or eliminate key obstacles to constructive loan modifications (S. 376) Increase modifications by providing...

The Federal Reserve Board is considering implementing a new rule that would require financial institutions to get explicit permission before enrolling their account holders in an overdraft system that automatically approves debit card and ATM transactions, and assesses an average $34 fee if there is a negative balance in the account. A Center for Responsible Lending survey conducted by market...

The Administration's Making Home Affordable Program represents a significant step forward, one that is essential and long overdue. It includes concrete and pragmatic measures to counter the perverse incentives that severed the interests of servicers from those of the borrowers and investors, and led servicers to pursue foreclosure even where the homeowner could afford a loan modification that would produce...

Overdraft lending: the problem Our nation's major banks and credit unions are making unsolicited, high-cost loans to their checking account holders when their account balance dips below zero, generating enormous fees for the banks and frequently driving their customers deeper into the negative. Financial institutions never have to reveal that customers pay triple- and quadruple-digit interest rates. They make overdraft...

We suggest a broad, simple framework that addresses the entire mortgage market and that focuses on the underlying incentives in that market. The legislation should establish a bright-line ban on dangerous loan features such as prepayment penalties and "no-doc" loans as well as on market-distorting incentives such as yieldspread premiums. All mortgage origination should be subject to rules that discourage...

And guess what! That's a GOOD thing Good news! Bank of America has announced it will stop its costly, automatic approval of debit card and ATM overdrafts. Bank of America joins Citibank in covering debit card and ATM overdrafts only if their customers have signed up for more reasonably priced coverage, by linking their savings or line of credit to...

Fremont case touted as a model for other states State shows that business as usual in subprime lending amounted to unfair and deceptive practices. CRL is encouraged by the recent success of the Massachusetts Attorney General (AG), who used longstanding consumer protection laws to stop foreclosures on unfair subprime loans. CRL believes the AG's approach could serve as an effective...

Read CRL CEO Martin Eakes' statement on the Housing Plan >> Hope for Stopping the Foreclosure Epidemic On February 18, 2009, the President announced a new, comprehensive plan for addressing the housing crisis. The plan, which called for more funding than anticipated, includes a range of incentives that will encourage lenders to modify loans. The plan recognizes that stopping foreclosures...

Payday loans create a cycle of debt that diminishes the income of vulnerable households Marketed as short-term relief for a cash crunch, payday loans carry annual interest rates of 400 percent and are designed to catch working people – or those with a steady source of income such as Social Security or a disability check – in a long-term debt...

Our nation's current economic crisis was driven by, among other things, three significant shortcomings in the mortgage system: 1) loose or nonexistent underwriting standards; 2) misplaced financial incentives that created conflicts between industry profits and borrowers' interests; and 3) lack of accountability among industry players for loan quality or performance. Given this systemic failure, the State should step in to...

Committee: U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services

Former President George W. Bush's 2008 tax rebate was designed to stimulate the economy by putting dollars back into the hands of working people. In May of 2008, the IRS sent $600 checks to households making less than $75,000 per individual and $100,000 per couple, with an additional $300 for each qualified child. President Barack Obama has also proposed a...

Recent industry projections are that over eight million families will lose their homes to foreclosure over the next four years. That's one in every six homeowners with a mortgage. If the economy enters a deep recession, the number of homes lost could exceed 10 million. With the housing sector responsible for one in eight U.S. jobs, the flood of new...