Regulators Must Fulfill Spirit and Intent of Bill

Washington, DC – Today, John Taylor, president and CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), will join    President Obama for the signing ceremony of the financial reform bill. Taylor made this statement prior to the ceremony:

“Today’s signing of the financial reform legislation by President Obama marks the beginning of a renewed effort by the White House, Congress, regulators and by community and consumer groups like NCRC to hold Wall Street and the banks accountable to taxpayers, who bailed them out after a decade of reckless and greedy financial practices, designed solely to line their pockets. These practices led to an economic crisis unlike anything we have experienced as Americans since the Great Depression.”

Tepid Foreclosure Prevention Efforts Continue to Undermine Economic Recovery Permanent modifications disappoint, as cancellations trend substantially higher Washington DC- Today the Treasury Department and HUD released the latest numbers for the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). Nearly 400,000 homeowners have been granted a permanent modification under the program, which compares to over 5.3 million foreclosure

Washington, DC – The Senate has passed the Wall Street reform bill this afternoon. John Taylor, president & CEO of NCRC made this statement regarding it passage:

“This bill represents the most significant overhaul of the financial system since the 1930s. But serious work remains; the proof of the bill’s worth will come not from what is written in the bill, but how the regulators interpret the bill, write the rules and then enforce them. Based on the job they did for the past decade, I will believe reform is here when I see it. The bill leaves too much to study, and the discretion of the existing regulators. For that reason, it’s a boon to Wall Street lobbyists, who will now be working behind the scenes to influence the regulators,” said John Taylor, president & CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition. “Given the severity of the economic crisis resulting from reckless and greedy practices on Wall Street, the bill could have been justifiably stronger. This is what happens when you allow the very industry that caused the problem to buy all the front row seats at the bargaining table.”

“We’re pleased to see the creation of an independent Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, whose sole purpose is to create and enforce rules that will protect consumers from faulty financial products like risky mortgages and high interest credit cards. But the consumer protections in the bill are not as bullet-proof as we would want. The same regulators who ignored consumer advocates’ warnings about predatory lending have veto power over the consumer agency; That club of regulators is very insular, and usually in agreement. They can kill serious reform, and the financial lobby remains much more influential with regulators than consumer advocates. And the veto standard of safety and soundness is too broad to the point of potentially including measures that affect the profitability of financial firms, even profits off of very risky practices. It’s critical that this agency get a strong director whose professional devotion is to protecting consumers, and that it remains independent from the regulators,” said Taylor.

“We’re also pleased that Congress accepted our recommendations on additional data enhancements covering home mortgage lending, including foreclosure data, and small business lending. These data enhancements will shine a powerful spotlight on banks efforts to lend for small business expansion and job creation and sustainable homeownership,” said Taylor.”