Center for Responsible Lending

Last updated
Center for Responsible Lending
Company type501(c)(3)
Founded2002
Headquarters Durham, North Carolina
Key people
Michael Calhoun (president)
Martin Eakes (CEO)
Products Financial services
Microfinance
Website www.responsiblelending.org

The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) is a nonprofit organization research and policy group based in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Its stated purpose is to educate the public about financial products and to push for policies that curb predatory lending. On its website and elsewhere, CRL describes its mission as that of "protecting homeownership and family wealth by working to eliminate abusive financial practices." CRL is affiliated with the Center for Community Self-Help. [1]

Contents

History

Established in 2002 by Self-Help, CRL is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research and policy organization that focuses on financial products and services, including mortgages, credit cards, payday lending, and bank overdraft fees. [2] It is affiliated with the Self-Help Credit Union, also founded by Martin Eakes in Durham, North Carolina. It has issued research reports, issue briefs and policy statements on a range of topics. CRL has pushed hard for financial reform—including the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Agency—in the wake of the mortgage meltdown [3]

The founders of CRL are Herbert Sandler and his wife Marion Sandler, founders of the Sandler Foundation. The Sandlers have been heavily criticized for their role in the 2008 financial crisis. Their financial company, Golden West, was one of the many banks to offer the adjustable rate mortgages that were blamed for the subprime mortgage crisis. The Sandlers' ties to the financial crisis were detailed by CBS's 60 Minutes . [4]

Martin Eakes, the current CEO of CRL and Self-Help, describes the mission of the organization as follows: "The economic problems we've seen in subprime lending came about through a narrow focus on self-enrichment among brokers, lenders and investors on Wall Street. We must redefine success to include the common good, and recognize that we are all enriched through sustainable lending that strengthens families and communities." [5]

Lobbying work

An investigation by Politico revealed CRL had a heavy role in helping the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) draft new regulations on payday loans. According to Politico, "The group regularly sent over policy papers, traded emails and met multiple times with top officials responsible for drafting the rule. At the same time, the group's financial services business, Self Help Credit Union, was pushing CFPB to support its own small-dollar loan product with a much lower interest rate as an alternative to payday loans." [6]

CRL opposed the Mortgage Choice Act of 2013 (H.R. 3211; 113 Congress), a bill that would direct the CFPB to amend its regulations related to qualified mortgages to reflect new exclusions made by this bill. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Payday loan</span> Short-term unsecured loan

A payday loan is a short-term unsecured loan, often characterized by high interest rates.

Predatory lending refers to unethical practices conducted by lending organizations during a loan origination process that are unfair, deceptive, or fraudulent. While there are no internationally agreed legal definitions for predatory lending, a 2006 audit report from the office of inspector general of the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) broadly defines predatory lending as "imposing unfair and abusive loan terms on borrowers", though "unfair" and "abusive" were not specifically defined. Though there are laws against some of the specific practices commonly identified as predatory, various federal agencies use the phrase as a catch-all term for many specific illegal activities in the loan industry. Predatory lending should not be confused with predatory mortgage servicing which is mortgage practices described by critics as unfair, deceptive, or fraudulent practices during the loan or mortgage servicing process, post loan origination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Community Reinvestment Act</span> US federal law

The Community Reinvestment Act is a United States federal law designed to encourage commercial banks and savings associations to help meet the needs of borrowers in all segments of their communities, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. Congress passed the Act in 1977 to reduce discriminatory credit practices against low-income neighborhoods, a practice known as redlining.

Herbert Sandler was a co-CEO of Golden West Financial Corporation and World Savings Bank. He died on June 4, 2019, at the age of 87. Golden West Financial's lending practices had Time magazine include Sandler and his wife Marion in their list of the "25 People to Blame for the Financial Crisis".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subprime mortgage crisis</span> 2007 mortgage crisis in the United States

The American subprime mortgage crisis was a multinational financial crisis that occurred between 2007 and 2010 that contributed to the 2007–2008 global financial crisis. The crisis led to a severe economic recession, with millions of people losing their jobs and many businesses going bankrupt. The U.S. government intervened with a series of measures to stabilize the financial system, including the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moneytree</span>

Moneytree, Inc. is a retail financial services provider headquartered in Tukwila, Washington, with branches in Washington, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, and British Columbia. Moneytree offers payday loans, installment loans, prepaid debit cards, money orders, bill payment, Western Union transfers, auto equity and title loans. In 2013, Moneytree won "Best Place to Work in Colorado" in the small business category.

The subprime mortgage crisis impact timeline lists dates relevant to the creation of a United States housing bubble and the 2005 housing bubble burst and the subprime mortgage crisis which developed during 2007 and 2008. It includes United States enactment of government laws and regulations, as well as public and private actions which affected the housing industry and related banking and investment activity. It also notes details of important incidents in the United States, such as bankruptcies and takeovers, and information and statistics about relevant trends. For more information on reverberations of this crisis throughout the global financial system see 2007–2008 financial crisis.

The Community Financial Services Association of America (CFSA) is a trade association in the United States representing the payday lending industry.

Regulatory responses to the subprime crisis addresses various actions taken by governments around the world to address the effects of the subprime mortgage crisis.

The U.S. subprime mortgage crisis was a set of events and conditions that led to a financial crisis and subsequent recession that began in 2007. It was characterized by a rise in subprime mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures, and the resulting decline of securities backed by said mortgages. Several major financial institutions collapsed in September 2008, with significant disruption in the flow of credit to businesses and consumers and the onset of a severe global recession.

Self-Help is a national community development financial institution headquartered in Durham, North Carolina. Between the years of 1980-2017, Self-Help reportedly provided over $7 billion in financing to 146,000 families, individuals and businesses. It aims to drive economic development and strengthen communities by providing financial services, lending to individuals, small businesses and nonprofits. It also aims to develop real estate and promote fair financial practices across the nation. Through its credit union network, Self-Help serves 150,000 members in North Carolina, California, Illinois, South Carolina, Virginia, Wisconsin and Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Consumer Financial Protection Bureau</span> United States government agency

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for consumer protection in the financial sector. CFPB's jurisdiction includes banks, credit unions, securities firms, payday lenders, mortgage-servicing operations, foreclosure relief services, debt collectors, and other financial companies operating in the United States. Since its founding, the CFPB has used technology tools to monitor how financial entities used social media and algorithms to target consumers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mortgage industry of the United States</span>

The mortgage industry of the United States is a major financial sector. The federal government created several programs, or government sponsored entities, to foster mortgage lending, construction and encourage home ownership. These programs include the Government National Mortgage Association, the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Payday loans in the United States</span> Overview of payday loans

A payday loan is a small, short-term unsecured loan, "regardless of whether repayment of loans is linked to a borrower's payday." The loans are also sometimes referred to as "cash advances," though that term can also refer to cash provided against a prearranged line of credit such as a credit card. Payday advance loans rely on the consumer having previous payroll and employment records. Legislation regarding payday loans varies widely between different countries and, within the United States, between different states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raj Date</span> American businessman, attorney, and venture capital investor

Rajeev V. Date is an American businessman, attorney, and venture capital investor who served as Deputy Director and Special Advisor for the United States Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He had previously served in a variety of leadership positions at the Bureau, including several months as the startup agency's leader, as the Special Advisor to the United States Secretary of the Treasury. He is credited with guiding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's early strategic, operational, and policy initiatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LendUp</span> American financial technology company

LendUp was an American online direct lender. It offered payday loans, installment loans, and credit cards to consumers with low credit scores using publicly available data to assess creditworthiness. The company referred to its customers as “the emerging middle class.” LendUp also issued credit cards in partnership with Tom Steyer's Beneficial State Bank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation</span> California state department

The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation regulates a variety of financial services, businesses, products, and professionals. The department operates under the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CFPB Rural Designation Petition and Correction Act</span>

The CFPB Rural Designation Petition and Correction Act is a bill that would amend the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to direct the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to establish an application process that would allow a person to get their county designated as "rural" for purposes of a federal consumer financial law. One practical effect of having a county designated "rural" is that people can qualify for some types of mortgages by getting them exempted from the CFPB's qualified mortgage rule.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mortgage Choice Act of 2013</span>

The Mortgage Choice Act of 2013 is a bill that would direct the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to amend its regulations related to qualified mortgages to reflect new exclusions made by this bill. The CFPB released new regulations regarding the definition of a Qualified Mortgage that took effect in January 2014, a definition that this bill would modify.

In consumer lending, mortgage origination, a specialized subset of loan origination, is the process by which a lender works with a borrower to complete a mortgage transaction, resulting in a mortgage loan. A mortgage loan is a loan in which property or real estate is used as collateral. During this process, borrowers must submit various types of financial information and documentation to a mortgage lender, including tax returns, payment history, credit card information and bank balances. Mortgage lenders use this information to determine the type of loan and the interest rate for which the borrower is eligible. The process in the United States has become complex due to the proliferation of loan products and consumer protection regulations.

References

  1. "CRL - Mission & History". Archived from the original on 2009-05-08. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
  2. "Our Work". Archived from the original on 2010-04-12. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
  3. "Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA/CFPB)". Archived from the original on 2010-04-10. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
  4. "World Of Trouble" . Retrieved 2017-06-04.
  5. "The 50 Most Powerful People in Real Estate 2010: Eric Stein - BusinessWeek". Archived from the original on 2010-04-28. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
  6. "Emails reveal consumer protection agency's cozy ties". POLITICO. Retrieved 2017-06-04.
  7. "CBO - H.R. 3211". Congressional Budget Office. 5 June 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2014.