Better living through better policy.

Category: Poverty & Welfare

The Washington Times: Mortgage Bankers Association’s tri-merge credit reporting reform pushes risky overhaul

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date April 21, 2026
No Comments on The Washington Times: Mortgage Bankers Association’s tri-merge credit reporting reform pushes risky overhaul

Proposal strips critical safeguards and shifts long-term costs on to American borrowers.

Tags Consumer Credit Data Integrity, Credit Score Accuracy, Housing Affordability Crisis, Housing Market Policy, Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), Mortgage Credit Reporting, Mortgage Underwriting Risk, Single-File Credit Reporting, Tri-Merge Credit Reports, U.S. Housing Market Trends

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

The Future of Retirement is Here

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date March 31, 2026
No Comments on The Future of Retirement is Here

The change could quietly unlock billions in hidden retirement wealth for everyday Americans.

Tags 401(k) Plans, Alternative Investments, Department of Labor (DOL), Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), Fiduciary Duty Standards, financial inclusion, Investment Diversification, Private Equity Markets, Retirement Policy, Retirement Savings Crisis

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

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

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

National Review: Sue-Pervised Retirement

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date March 1, 2026
No Comments on National Review: Sue-Pervised Retirement

Rampant litigation against 401(k) sponsors is narrowing employees’ investment choices and eroding their retirement wealth.

Tags 401(k) Plans, Alternative Assets, American Retirement Crisis, American Workers Retirement, Capital Formation, Class Action Litigation, Congressional Tort Reform, Defined Benefit Pension Decline, Defined Contribution Plans, Democratizing Investment Access, Department Of Labor Regulation, Employee Retirement Income Security Act, Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans, ERISA Fiduciary Duty, ERISA Litigation, Excessive Fee Lawsuits, Fiduciary Liability, Financial Inclusivity, Financial Independence, Financial Policy Analysis, Financial Regulation Reform, Free Market Policy, Free Market Retirement Solutions, Hughes v. Northwestern, Illiquidity Premium, Institutional Investing Advantage, Investment Diversification, Investment Menu Diversity, Investment Policy Debate, Investment Regulation, Judicial Paternalism, Labor Department Rulemaking, Long Term Investing, Long Term Wealth Building, National Review Op Ed, Patrick M Brenner, Pension Fund Investing, Private Credit Investments, Private Equity Investing, Private Markets Access, Private Retirement Accounts, Public vs Private Markets, Retirement Economics, Retirement Investment Choice, Retirement Investment Freedom, Retirement Investment Innovation, Retirement Litigation Risk, Retirement Ownership, Retirement Plan Sponsors, Retirement Planning In America, Retirement Policy, Retirement Policy Reform, Retirement Portfolio Allocation, Retirement Reform, Retirement Safe Harbor Rules, Retirement Savings, Retirement Savings Shortfall, Retirement Security, Retirement System Reform, Retirement System Sustainability, Retirement Wealth Creation, Retirement Wealth Gap, Revenue Act Of 1978, Social Security Act Of 1935, Social Security Insolvency, Southwest Public Policy Institute, Target Date Funds, Tibble v. Edison, Trial Attorney Incentives, Trial Lawyer Litigation, Tussey v. ABB, University Endowment Investing, Wealth Accumulation

Conservatism Culture 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 The Constitution Updates

Housing Shock: The Cost of Investor Ownership Bans

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date February 24, 2026
No Comments on Housing Shock: The Cost of Investor Ownership Bans

A prohibition on institutional investors could destabilize housing markets, but a targeted exemption can protect homeowners and renters.

Tags Affordable Housing Policy, American Housing Market, Build-To-Rent Housing, Congressional Housing Policy, Economic Policy, Federal Housing Policy, Federal Legislation, Forced Divestment, Free Market Housing Policy, Home Value Stability, Homeownership Policy, Housing Affordability, Housing Affordability Solutions, Housing Asset Prices, Housing Construction, Housing Crisis, Housing Development, Housing Economics, Housing Investment, Housing Investment Incentives, Housing Investment Policy, Housing Market Fire Sale, Housing Market Liquidity, Housing Market Policy, Housing Market Reform, Housing Market Stability, Housing Market Volatility, Housing Policy, Housing Policy Exemptions, Housing Policy Research, Housing Regulation, Housing Shortage, Housing Supply, Housing Supply Constraints, Institutional Homeownership, Institutional Investor Ban, Institutional Investors, Investor Ownership Caps, Investor-To-Investor Sales, Land Use Policy, Market Stabilization Policy, Market-Based Housing Solutions, Neighborhood Property Values, Patrick M Brenner, Permitting Reform, Private Capital In Housing, Property Rights, Public Policy Analysis, Real Estate Investment, Real Estate Liquidity, Real Estate Markets, Real Estate Public Policy, Real Estate Regulation, Real Estate Valuation, Regulatory Barriers, Rental Housing Supply, Rental Market Stability, Single-Family Housing, Single-Family Rentals, Southwest Public Policy Institute, Think Tank Research, Zoning Reform

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 Culture Domestic Policy Government Regulation Government Transparency and Accountability Health Care Life New Mexico Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Public Health Public Opinion Top Issues Updates

Government Can’t Reduce Smoking by Attacking Safer Alternatives

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date January 31, 2026
1 Comment on Government Can’t Reduce Smoking by Attacking Safer Alternatives

New Mexico legislators are considering higher taxes and new restrictions on nicotine products such as nicotine pouches. These proposals are typically framed as public-health measures. In practice, they risk doing precisely the opposite—nudging smokers back toward cigarettes, expanding illicit markets, and increasing preventable disease. Cigarettes remain the most dangerous nicotine product legally sold in the […]