Better living through better policy.

Category: Poverty & Welfare

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 Courts Crime and Justice 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 The Constitution Top Issues Trade Updates

DC Journal: Trump’s Tariffs Are Changing How Consumers Use Credit

Post author By Lucas J. Parker
Post date December 15, 2025
1 Comment on DC Journal: Trump’s Tariffs Are Changing How Consumers Use Credit

Tariffs and credit price controls are squeezing American families From both sides.

Tags Bipartisan Policy Failure, BNPL Loans, Buy Now Pay Later, Consumer Credit, Consumer Finance, Consumer Prices, Consumption Tax, Cost Of Credit, Cost Of Living, credit access, Credit Availability, Credit Card Debt, Credit Markets, Credit Shortages, Debt Reliance, Economic Freedom, Economic Growth, Economic Policy, Federal Policy, Financial Inclusivity, Financial Literacy, financial regulation, Financial Stability, Free Market Economics, Government Intervention, Hidden Taxes, Household Debt, Inflation, Inflationary Pressure, Interest Rate Caps, Lending Caps, Lending Regulation, Market Distortion, Market-Based Solutions, Middle-Class Households, Personal Finance, Populism, Price Controls, Regressive Taxes, Regulatory Overreach, Small Loan Lending, Small-Dollar Loans, Stagflation, Subprime Credit, Tariffs, Trade Policy, Trade War, Working-Class Families

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.

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

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

The Death Knell for Elizabeth Warren’s CFPB

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date November 19, 2025
No Comments on The Death Knell for Elizabeth Warren’s CFPB

Trump’s CFPB reset offers hope for reform, but state attorneys general are already building a fragmented and punitive new regulatory regime

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

Fox News: Trump’s 50-year mortgage just introduces a new kind of debt

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date November 17, 2025
No Comments on Fox News: Trump’s 50-year mortgage just introduces a new kind of debt

50-year loan terms would triple total debt while government regulations continue driving up building costs

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

Report: The Case Against 50-Year Mortgages

Post author By Southwest Public Policy Institute
Post date November 8, 2025
2 Comments on Report: The Case Against 50-Year Mortgages

How will Washington’s housing “fix” entrench debt, inflate prices, and undermine the American Dream?

Tags 50-Year Mortgage, Abrazos Homes, Affordable Housing, Annual Percentage Rate (APR), Bill Pulte, Building Permits, Central Planning, Construction Costs, Consumer Price Index (CPI), Donald Trump, Economic Policy, Fannie Mae, Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Federal Reserve, financial regulation, Freddie Mac, Government Subsidies, Home Builders, Homeownership, Housing Affordability, Housing Policy, Housing Supply, Immigration Policy, Inflation, Jerome Powell, Mackenzie Bishop, Mortgage Market, Mortgage Rates, Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS), Patrick M. Brenner, Property Taxes, Real Estate Market, Red Tape, Skilled Trades, Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI), Sticky Inflation, Tariffs, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Truth in Lending Act (TILA), Zoning Reform

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

The Wall Street Journal: The Case Against 30-Year Mortgages

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date November 8, 2025
1 Comment on The Wall Street Journal: The Case Against 30-Year Mortgages

Subsidized debt drives up prices, sucks up wealth, and makes it hard for millennials to buy homes.

Tags 30-Year Mortgage, 50-Year Mortgage, American Dream, Amortization, Annual Percentage Rate (APR), Central Planning, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Economic Policy, Fannie Mae, Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Federal Reserve, financial regulation, Freddie Mac, GI Bill, Government Subsidies, Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC), Homeownership, Housing Affordability, Housing Finance, Housing Policy, Housing Prices, Inflation, Lending Reform, Millennials, Mortgage Interest, Mortgage Rates, Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS), Patrick M. Brenner, Real Estate Market, Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Truth in Lending Act (TILA)

Budget and Spending Conservatism Culture Domestic Policy Government Regulation Government Spending Health Care Life Medicare Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Public Opinion Top Issues Updates Welfare

Rural Medicare Advantage Customers See Decreased Options

Post author By Lucas J. Parker
Post date November 7, 2025
No Comments on Rural Medicare Advantage Customers See Decreased Options

As the December 7 Medicare Open Enrollment deadline approaches, rural seniors face shrinking coverage options as major insurers scale back Medicare Advantage plans nationwide.