Better living through better policy.

Category: Technology

DC Journal: To Interchange or Not to Interchange…

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date May 27, 2026
No Comments on DC Journal: To Interchange or Not to Interchange…

Why state-level price controls threaten $35 billion in credit card rewards and household budgeting.

Economic Opportunity Government Regulation Markets and Finance Poverty and Inequality Technology Top Issues Updates

National Review: Instead of Taxing the Rich, Let Americans Invest Like Them

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date May 20, 2026
No Comments on National Review: Instead of Taxing the Rich, Let Americans Invest Like Them

America has created two classes of retirement savers: One class gets access to the full economy, while the other gets a neutered imitation of it.

Budget and Spending Conservatism Courts Culture Cybersecurity Domestic Policy Economy Government Regulation Government Spending Government Transparency and Accountability Infrastructure & Technology Legal and Judicial Life Markets and Finance New Mexico Political Thought Progressivism Public Opinion Reports Security Technology Top Issues Transparency Updates

Report: Rolling the Dice

Post author By Southwest Public Policy Institute
Post date March 23, 2026
No Comments on Report: Rolling the Dice

Procurement failures and vendor transition risks threaten the New Mexico Lottery.

Tags Bid Scoring Methodology, Central Gaming System, Contract Duration Limits, Contract Extension Risk, Cost Versus Technical Evaluation, Critical Infrastructure Procurement, Emergency Contract Extensions, Evaluation Committee Process, Government Accountability, Government Contracting, Government Efficiency, Government Oversight, Government Procurement, Higher Education Funding, Implementation Risk, Infrastructure Governance, Infrastructure Transition Failures, Internal Audit Review, International Game Technology (IGT), Intralot, Legislative Lottery Scholarship Program, Lottery Gaming Systems, Lottery Infrastructure, Lottery Procurement, Lottery Retailers, Lottery Revenue Risk, Lottery Technology Providers, Lottery Vendor Contracts, New Mexico Lottery Act, New Mexico Lottery Authority (NMLA), New Mexico Procurement Code, NMSA 1978 Section 6-24-9, Operational Continuity, Policy Analysis, Pollard Banknote, Procurement Accountability, Procurement Compliance, Procurement Governance, Procurement Transparency, Public Finance Risk, Public Policy Research, Public Procurement Failures, Public Sector Risk Management, Public-Private Partnerships, Regulatory Compliance, Retail Network Operations, Risk Of Service Disruption, Scholarship Funding Risk, Scientific Games, Sole-Source Contracts, Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI), State Lottery Operations, State Revenue Systems, State Statutes Compliance, System Conversion Risk, System Deployment Delays, Technology Procurement Failures, Think Tank Research, Transition Planning, Vendor Transition Risk

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 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

Amicus Curiae Conservatism Corner Post, Inc. v. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System Courts Crime and Justice Culture Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Government Transparency and Accountability Infrastructure & Technology Legal Legal and Judicial Life Markets and Finance North Dakota Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Public Opinion Technology The Constitution Top Issues Updates

SPPI Files Amicus Brief Supporting the Federal Reserve in Major Debit Card Case

Post author By Southwest Public Policy Institute
Post date December 30, 2025
No Comments on SPPI Files Amicus Brief Supporting the Federal Reserve in Major Debit Card Case

A major federal court case could reshape debit card economics nationwide, impacting payment security, reliability, and everyday consumer transactions.

Tags Amicus Brief, Banking Policy, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Card Payment Security, Checkout Transactions, Constitutional Law, Consumer Protection Policy, Corner Post Lawsuit, Court Of Appeals, Credit Union Policy, Debit Card Transactions, Durbin Amendment, Economic Policy, Electronic Payments, Federal Reserve Board, Fifth Amendment Takings, Financial Access, financial inclusion, financial regulation, Fraud Prevention, Household Finance, Interchange Fees, Investment Incentives, James Madison Institute, Legal Interpretation, Market Stability, Merchant Fees, National Economic Impact, Network Processing, Payment Card Policy, Payment Infrastructure, Price Controls, Public Policy Debate, Regulatory Litigation, Retail Payments, Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI), Transaction Monitoring, U.S. Economy

Amicus Curiae Conservatism Corner Post, Inc. v. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System Courts Culture Cybersecurity Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Infrastructure & Technology Legal Legal and Judicial Life Markets and Finance North Dakota Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Public Opinion Technology The Constitution Top Issues Updates

Corner Post v. Federal Reserve: What’s Really at Stake in the Durbin Debacle

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date December 25, 2025
No Comments on Corner Post v. Federal Reserve: What’s Really at Stake in the Durbin Debacle

Price controls could disrupt debit and credit card transactions nationwide, reshaping everyday payments.

Tags Affordability Crisis, Banking Policy, Constitutional Law, Consumer Credit Policy, Corner Post Lawsuit, Court Of Appeals, credit access, Credit Availability, Credit Markets, Credit Redistribution, Credit Union Policy, Debit Card Transactions, Durbin Amendment, Economic Access, Economic Policy, Electronic Payments, Federal Reserve, Federal Reserve Board, Fifth Amendment Takings, financial inclusion, financial regulation, Financial Stability, Fraud Prevention, Household Finance, Interchange Fees, Interest Rate Caps, Lending Restrictions, Market Distortion, National Economic Impact, New York Fed Study, No Loan For You, Payment Infrastructure, Price Controls, Prime Borrowers, Public Policy Analysis, Regulatory Policy, Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI), Subprime Borrowers, Swipe Right, Unbanked Consumers, Underbanked Consumers

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

The CFPB’s Open Banking Mandate Is About to Break Rent

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date December 15, 2025
1 Comment on The CFPB’s Open Banking Mandate Is About to Break Rent

The CFPB’s open banking mandate, the 1033 rule, poses a critical risk to America’s rent payments.

Budget and Spending Conservatism Courts Culture Cybersecurity Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Government Spending Housing Infrastructure & Technology Legal and Judicial Life Markets and Finance Political Thought Progressivism Public Opinion Reports Technology Top Issues Updates

Report: 1033 Error, Rule Not Sound

Post author By Southwest Public Policy Institute
Post date November 24, 2025
2 Comments on Report: 1033 Error, Rule Not Sound

The CFPB’s open-banking mandate endangers consumers.

Tags Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), Authorized Third Parties, Banks And Credit Unions, Chevron Deference, Comparison Shopping Tools, Consumer Data Access, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Consumer Protection Policy, Credit Karma, Cybersecurity Risks, Data Breach Risks, Data Governance, Data Monetization, Data Portability, Data Privacy Frameworks, Data Security, Data Sharing Agreements, Digital Financial Platforms, Dodd-Frank Act, Economic Freedom, Federal Court Injunction, Financial Compliance, Financial Data Aggregators, Financial Data Ecosystem, Financial Data Exchange (FDX), Financial Fraud Prevention, Financial Innovation, Financial Institutions, Financial Market Stability, Financial Privacy, Financial Regulation Reform, Financial Services Policy, financial technology, Financial Transparency, Fintech Regulation, Free Market Policy, Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), Lead Generators, Lending Tree, Liability Asymmetry, Loper Bright Decision, Major Questions Doctrine, Market-Based Innovation, Meta Fraud Report, National Security Risks, NerdWallet, Open Banking, Personal Financial Data Rights Rule, Plaid Data Connections, Price Controls, Regulatory Compliance, Regulatory Overreach, Rohit Chopra, Screen Scraping, Section 1033, Statutory Authority Limits, Third-Party Data Access, Trump Administration Rulemaking, Voluntary Industry Standards

Conservatism Culture Cybersecurity Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Infrastructure & Technology Legal and Judicial Markets and Finance Political Thought Public Opinion Security Technology Top Issues Updates

RealClearMarkets: Stablecoin Rewards Are the Shortcut to Financial Trouble

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date November 12, 2025
No Comments on RealClearMarkets: Stablecoin Rewards Are the Shortcut to Financial Trouble

Why should Congress uphold the GENIUS Act’s ban on stablecoin rewards to prevent digital money from becoming digital debt?