Letters to Congress

The NAACP encouraged Maryland Governor Wes Moore to sign into law legislation that would restore some protections for people using payday loan apps.

Civil rights and consumer advocacy organizations urge the Federal Reserve Board to deny an application to become a bank holding company, submitted by Enova, raising particular concern about the effects of its predatory lending on communities of color. This nonbank lender has disproportionate number of complaints from majority-minority communities, charges triple-digit interest rates, has charge-off rates (a measure of defaults)...

CRL responded to the OCC regarding the Enova/Grasshopper merger, requesting additional time of up to 60 days to comment, and to hold public hearings. This request is based on Enova’s record of high-cost lending of products that have interest rates over 100% and a history of federal and state enforcement actions against them.

A coalition of more than 170 consumer, faith, civil rights, labor, human rights, and community advocacy groups sent a letter to Senators Elizabeth Warren and Tim Scott to enthusiastically support the Predatory Lending Elimination Act (S3793). This bill, sponsored in the Senate by Senator Jack Reed, is the solution to the worst practices by predatory lenders in the consumer loan...

Nearly 200 labor, consumer, civil rights, and community organizations joined together to express opposition to any bill, similar to last year’s H.R. 7428 (Steil), that exempts earned wage payday loans from the Truth in Lending Act (TILA). Doing so would endorse a form of loan that makes workers pay to be paid and would facilitate new evasions by payday lenders...

The undersigned 291 health care, consumer, civil rights, labor, legal services, and community organizations and academics write to urge you to oppose S.J. Res. 36 (Rounds) and H.J. Res. 74 (Norman), resolutions under the Congressional Review Act to rescind the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) final rule to remove medical debt from credit reports. We also oppose any attempt to...

45 local and national advocates from across the country, including 20 from Maryland, urge Maryland’s Governor to veto HB1294, a bill that gives app-based payday lenders a special exemption from state laws that prohibit lending that is discriminatory, is deceptive, or carries extremely high interest rates.

The 349 undersigned consumer, civil rights, labor, legal services and community organizations and academics write to urge you to demand action to restore a strong and independent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). We further urge you to oppose changes to the CFPB’s funding, structure or other changes that would weaken its ability to stand up for consumers, competition and a...

In a letter to President Trump, a group of consumer, economic justice and civil rights organizations urge him to veto S.J. Res 18, which would overturn a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule that limits steep overdraft fees charged by large banks and credit unions.

Nearly 300 consumer, civil rights, labor, legal services and community organizations and academics wrote to oppose S.J. Res. 18 which would overturn the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s overdraft fee rule. This rule would reduce most overdraft fees from $35 to $5, stop manipulative practices by big banks, improve transparency, and put $5 billion back into the pockets of everyday people...