Better living through better policy.

Category: Transparency

Washington Post: Mortgage rates just fell below a crucial psychological threshold

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date March 14, 2026
No Comments on Washington Post: Mortgage rates just fell below a crucial psychological threshold

The difference from a 6 percent rate is tiny, but the appeal to customers is big.

Tags 30-Year Fixed Mortgage, American Housing Market, Annual Percentage Rate, APR, Asset Ownership, Auto Loans, Banking Regulation, Buy Now Pay Later, Charm Pricing, Consumer Credit, Consumer Finance, Consumer Psychology, Cost Of Borrowing, Credit Cards, Credit Markets, Credit Transparency, Debt Culture, Depository Institutions Deregulation And Monetary Control Act, Economic Behavior, Economic Perception, Financial Deregulation, Financial Disclosure, Financial Literacy, Financial Markets, financial regulation, Home Buying, Household Debt, Housing Affordability, Housing Demand, Housing Economics, Housing Finance, Housing Market, Housing Policy, Interest Rate Exportation, Interest Rate Perception, Interest Rate Psychology, Lending Regulation, Lending Standards, Lending Transparency, Loan Pricing, Marquette National Bank v. First Of Omaha Service Corp, Monthly Payments, Mortgage Advertising, Mortgage Economics, Mortgage Industry, Mortgage Interest Rates, Mortgage Marketing, Mortgage Policy, Mortgage Rate Threshold, Mortgage Rates, Mortgage Refinance, Mortgage Sentiment, Patrick M Brenner, Payday Loans, Personal Finance, Psychological Pricing, Real Estate Finance, Southwest Public Policy Institute, Subscription Economy, Total Loan Repayment, Truth In Lending Act, U.S. Household Debt, Washington Post Opinion

Budget and Spending Conservatism Courts Crime and Justice Domestic Policy Education Government Regulation Government Spending Government Transparency and Accountability Infrastructure & Technology Legal and Judicial New Mexico Political Thought Progressivism Public Opinion Top Issues Transparency Updates

SPPI Files Public Records Request Regarding New Mexico Lottery Contract Procurement

Post author By Southwest Public Policy Institute
Post date February 27, 2026
No Comments on SPPI Files Public Records Request Regarding New Mexico Lottery Contract Procurement

SPPI seeks transparency and legal clarity regarding the New Mexico Lottery Authority’s procurement process and transition planning for the state gaming system contract.

Conservatism Culture Legal and Judicial Life Political Thought Progressivism Public Opinion Top Issues Transparency Updates

When Silence Speaks: The Optics of Editorial Conflict

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date February 18, 2026
No Comments on When Silence Speaks: The Optics of Editorial Conflict

A statistical coverage disparity raises transparency questions at the Financial Times.

Tags Abbas Khalaf, Apollo Global Management, Aquarian Acquisition, Asset Management, Athene, Brighthouse Financial, Capital Markets, Conflict Of Interest Disclosure, Corporate Governance, Corporate Media Ethics, Coverage Disparity, Editorial Conflict Of Interest, Editorial Independence, Editorial Safeguards, Editorial Standards, Ethical Journalism Practices, Financial Journalism Analysis, Financial Media Scrutiny, Financial Times, Global Atlantic, Global Financial Media, Governance And Oversight, Industry Coverage Imbalance, Institutional Credibility, Institutional Trust Erosion, Insurance And Annuity Market, Insurance Industry Reporting, Insurance Sector Coverage, Journalism Integrity, KKR, Lebanese Economy Minister, Life Insurance Industry, Life Insurer Market Share, Media Accountability, Media Bias Concerns, Media Ethics, Media Governance, Media Independence Standards, Media Transparency Protocols, MetLife, Michel Khalaf, Newsroom Transparency, Patrick M. Brenner, Perceived Conflict Of Interest, Perception Versus Proof In Journalism, Private Capital In Insurance, Private Equity In Insurance, Public Trust In Media, Recusal Policy, Reputation Risk In Media, Roula Khalaf, Southwest Public Policy Institute, The Optics Of Editorial Conflict, Transparency In Journalism, When Silence Speaks

Conservatism Courts Culture Debt Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Legal and Judicial Life Markets and Finance Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Public Opinion Transparency Updates

The Washington Times: The dangers of credit card populism

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date February 15, 2026
No Comments on The Washington Times: The dangers of credit card populism

Capping interest rates won’t create a fairer system.

Tags 10 Percent Interest Rate Cap, Access To Affordable Credit, Affordability Debate, Annual Percentage Rate, APR Regulation, Banking Industry Economics, Banking Regulation, Bernie Sanders, Bipartisan Populism, Capital Reallocation Effects, Consumer Credit Policy, Consumer Finance Policy, credit access, Credit Card Competition, Credit Card Ecosystem, Credit Card Interest Rate Cap, Credit Card Populism, Credit Card Reform Debate, Credit Card Rewards Programs, Credit Card Rewards Redistribution, Credit Market Distortions, Credit Score Tiers, Credit Underwriting Standards, Debit Card Interchange, Deep Subprime Lending, Donald Trump Economic Policy, Durbin Amendment, Economic Consequences Of Rate Caps, Economic Shortages From Price Controls, Federal Financial Regulation, Federal Reserve Study, FICO Scores, Financial Behavior Economics, financial inclusion, Financial Market Intervention, Financial Services Populism, Financial Services Regulation, Fraud Protection Costs, Government Price Controls, High FICO Borrowers, House Financial Services Committee, Interchange Fee Caps, Interchange Fees, Jim Himes, Josh Hawley, Lending Contraction, Market Distortions, Modern Payment Systems, New York Fed Study, Payment Processing Industry, Price Controls, Regulatory Overreach, Retailer Interchange Debate, Rewards Versus APR Competition, Richmond Federal Reserve, Risk Allocation In Lending, Risk Based Pricing, Scott Bessent, Subprime Borrowers, Usury Laws, Usury Limits, Zero Liability Protection

Conservatism Culture Cybersecurity Debt Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Housing Infrastructure & Technology Legal and Judicial Life Markets and Finance Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Public Opinion Technology Top Issues Transparency Updates

Weakening Tri-Merge Would Make Housing Less Affordable

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date February 6, 2026
1 Comment on Weakening Tri-Merge Would Make Housing Less Affordable

Why cutting credit reporting costs won’t fix housing affordability, and may make it worse.

Conservatism Courts Crime and Justice Culture Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Government Transparency and Accountability Legal and Judicial Life Markets and Finance Political Thought Progressivism Public Opinion Top Issues Transparency Updates

Fiduciary Standards Start With Transparency

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date February 4, 2026
No Comments on Fiduciary Standards Start With Transparency

The loudest voices demanding “fiduciary purity” in America’s retirement debate are often the least willing to submit themselves to basic public scrutiny. That contradiction is now impossible to ignore. This week, the Pinpoint Policy Institute filed a formal complaint with the Internal Revenue Service alleging that the Institute for the Fiduciary Standard (IFS) has failed […]

Conservatism Courts Crime and Justice Culture Cybersecurity Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Government Transparency and Accountability Infrastructure & Technology Legal and Judicial Life Markets and Finance Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Public Opinion Technology The Constitution Transparency

Real Clear Markets: Credit Card Rate Caps Will Lead To a Shortage of Credit Cards

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date January 19, 2026
1 Comment on Real Clear Markets: Credit Card Rate Caps Will Lead To a Shortage of Credit Cards

Why a national credit card rate cap would shrink access and worsen inequality.

Tags Affordability Crisis, Capital Allocation, Command Economy Policies, Consumer Credit Policy, Consumer Debt, Consumer Finance Research, Consumer Protection Policy, credit access, Credit Building, Credit Card Accounts, Credit Card Interest Rates, Credit Card Limits, Credit Card Rate Caps, Credit Card Regulation, Credit Card Rewards Programs, Credit Contraction, Credit Market Infrastructure, Credit Markets, Credit Rationing, Credit Underwriting, Digital Payments, Donald Trump Economic Policy, Economic Freedom, Economic Inequality, Economic Policy Analysis, Federal Reserve Bank Of New York, financial inclusion, Financial Mobility, financial regulation, Financial Risk Pricing, Financial Stability, Fraud Protection, Free Market Economics, Household Debt, Household Finance, Housing Affordability, Inflation And Cost Of Living, Interest Rate Caps, Lending Standards, Market Distortions, Milton Friedman, Monetary Policy, National Interest Rate Cap, Online Commerce, Patrick M. Brenner, Payment Systems, Price Controls, Prime Borrowers, Regulatory Overreach, Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI), Subprime Borrowers, Temporary Government Programs, Trump Credit Card Proposal

Budget and Spending Conservatism Culture Debt Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Education Education Freedom and Reform Government Regulation Government Spending Life Markets and Finance New Mexico Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Public Opinion Top Issues Transparency Updates

Santa Fe New Mexican: Let’s reimagine financial literacy education

Post author By Lucas J. Parker
Post date December 25, 2025
1 Comment on Santa Fe New Mexican: Let’s reimagine financial literacy education

We need to modernize how financial literacy is taught entirely.

Tags APR Education, Compounding Interest, Consumer Finance, credit access, Credit Card Debt, Credit Scores, Debt Management, Economic Education, Economic Opportunity, Education Policy, Education Reform, Financial Curriculum Modernization, Financial Decision Making, Financial Empowerment, Financial Literacy, Financial Literacy Legislation, Financial Literacy Reform, Financial Responsibility, Financial Wellbeing, Gen Z Debt, HB 171, High School Financial Literacy, Household Debt, Interest Rates, Mortgage Education, New Mexico Education, New Mexico Policy, New Mexico Schools, Personal Finance Education, Real World Finance Skills, Responsible Borrowing, Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI), Student Debt, Youth Financial Education

Colorado Conservatism Culture Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Illinois Life Markets and Finance New Mexico Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Public Opinion Top Issues Transparency Updates

Buried in Bias

Post author By Southwest Public Policy Institute
Post date December 12, 2025
1 Comment on Buried in Bias

The Center for Responsible Lending’s “Buried in Debt” report fails as policy analysis.

Tags Alternative Financial Services, Amortization Schedules, Annual Percentage Rate (APR), Banking Fees, Bolen Elliehausen Miller Study, Buried In Debt Report, Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), consumer choice, Consumer Credit Policy, Consumer Lending Research, Consumer Welfare, Cost Of Living Crisis, credit access, Credit Bureau Data, Credit Denial Rates, Credit Market Regulation, Credit Rationing, Credit Stacking, Credit Supply Constraints, Deep-Subprime Borrowers, Difference-In-Differences Analysis, Economic Opportunity, Evidence-Based Policymaking, Financial Hardship, financial inclusion, Financial Literacy, financial regulation, Financial Services Policy, Free Market Finance, Housing Cost Burden, Income Volatility, Interest Rate Caps, Loan Availability, Loan Disclosures, Market Distortion, Mortgage Finance, No Loan For You, No Loan For You!, Overdraft Fees, Payday Lending, Poverty And Inequality, Price Controls, Regulatory Economics, Regulatory Harm, Risk-Based Pricing, Selection Bias, Small-Dollar Credit Research, Small-Dollar Loans, Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI), Subprime Borrowers, Substitute Financial Products, Survivorship Bias, Too!, Total Cost Of Credit, Usury Laws

Culture Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Education Freedom and Reform Government Regulation Life Markets and Finance Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Public Opinion Top Issues Transparency Updates

The Need to Modernize Financial Literacy in Uncertain Economic Times

Post author By Lucas J. Parker
Post date December 6, 2025
1 Comment on The Need to Modernize Financial Literacy in Uncertain Economic Times

A modernized financial-literacy framework must equip students with practical, real-world tools to navigate an increasingly complex and often predatory consumer-finance landscape.

Tags Amortization Schedules, Annual Percentage Rate (APR), Consumer Finance, Consumer Protection, Credit Market Instruction, Credit Policy Impacts, Credit Scoring Education, Credit-Market Case Studies, Debt Management Education, Decision-Making Skills, Economic Mobility, Financial Curriculum Redesign, Financial Education Reform, Financial Independence For Students, Financial Literacy, Financial Technology (Fintech) Education, High School Curriculum Modernization, High-Cost Credit Products, Household Debt Burden, Industry Practitioner Insights, Lending Transparency, Loan Scenarios, Long-Term Mortgage Misalignment, Mortgage Interest Accrual, Opportunity Cost Understanding, Payday Loan Risks, Predatory Lending Awareness, Real-World Financial Skills, Regulatory Environment, Risk Assessment Training, Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI), Student Financial Outcomes, Youth Financial Preparedness