Better living through better policy.

Category: State

American Banker: Death by a thousand caps—State laws could kill credit card rewards

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date March 29, 2025
No Comments on American Banker: Death by a thousand caps—State laws could kill credit card rewards

A group of states are pursuing similar efforts to cap credit card interchange fees, endangering rewards programs that customers value, and raising concerns about an illegal interstate compact.

Tags Credit Card Rewards Programs, Credit Cards, Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Durbin Amendment, Interchange Fees, MasterCard, Price Controls, Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), Swipe Fees, Transactions, Visa

Colorado Conservatism 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

Colorado’s House Bill 1282 Swipe Fee Legislation: A Price Control by Another Name

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date March 24, 2025
No Comments on Colorado’s House Bill 1282 Swipe Fee Legislation: A Price Control by Another Name

Colorado’s interchange swipe fee cap will ultimately harm small businesses, drive up banking costs, and gut credit card rewards.

Tags Competition, Credit, Credit Card, Credit Card Rewards Programs, Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Durbin Amendment, Interchange Fees, Swipe Fees, Taxes

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

Fighting Back Against Rate Caps in Alaska: SPPI’s Testimony on Senate Bill 39

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date March 24, 2025
1 Comment on Fighting Back Against Rate Caps in Alaska: SPPI’s Testimony on Senate Bill 39

Last week, I had the opportunity to testify before the Alaska Senate Finance Committee on the dangers of Senate Bill 39, a proposal to impose a 36% APR cap on consumer credit. Additional testimony was submitted to the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee before the bill was advanced to the Senate Finance Committee. This legislation […]

Tags Bank of America, Banking, Credit, Credit Score, Credit Unions, Lending, No Loan For You!, Short Term Loans, Small Dollar Loans, U.S. Bank, Unbanked, Underbanked, Wells Fargo

Alaska Conservatism Culture Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Markets and Finance Marriage and Family New Mexico Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Public Opinion Top Issues Updates

Why Alaska’s Senate Bill 39 Should Be Rejected: Lessons from New Mexico’s Failed Rate Cap

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date March 24, 2025
2 Comments on Why Alaska’s Senate Bill 39 Should Be Rejected: Lessons from New Mexico’s Failed Rate Cap

Alaska’s Senate Bill 39 (SB 39) proposes a 36% APR cap on consumer loans up to $25,000. The bill aims to regulate financial services, prevent “predatory” lending, and bring state laws in line with federal consumer protection measures. However, while the bill’s intentions may seem noble, its real-world consequences will devastate Alaskan consumers—especially those with […]

Tags Alaska Senate Bill 39, Annual Percentage Rate (APR), Borrowing, Credit, Credit Inclusivity, Payday Loans, Short Term Loans, Small Dollar Loans, Specialized Emergency Loans

Alaska Budget and Spending Coal, Oil, Natural Gas Conservatism Culture Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Energy & Environment Energy Economics Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Government Regulation Government Spending Life Markets and Finance New Mexico Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Public Opinion Taxes Top Issues Updates Welfare

National Review: Share, Baby, Share; How a Permanent Oil and Gas Fund Dividend Could Empower New Mexicans

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date March 7, 2025
1 Comment on National Review: Share, Baby, Share; How a Permanent Oil and Gas Fund Dividend Could Empower New Mexicans

And benefit the nation, too.

Tags Alaska, Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend, Drill Baby Drill, New Mexico Oil and Gas Association (NMOGA), New Mexico Permanent Fund Dividend (NMPFD), Oil and Gas, Permanent Fund Dividend, Sovereign Wealth Funds

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

Backdoor Price Control: New Mexico’s HB476 Interchange Fee Cap Scheme

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date February 28, 2025
5 Comments on Backdoor Price Control: New Mexico’s HB476 Interchange Fee Cap Scheme

New Mexico’s HB 476 stealthily caps interchange fees by targeting sales tax, bypassing federal oversight while shifting costs to consumers and small businesses.

Tags Banking, Consumerism, Credit, Credit Cards, Debt, Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Durbin Amendment, Interchange Fees, Rewards

Arizona Conservatism 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

Arizona End-Run: How HB 2629 Sneaks in a Credit Card Interchange Fee Cap

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date February 28, 2025
5 Comments on Arizona End-Run: How HB 2629 Sneaks in a Credit Card Interchange Fee Cap

Price Controls Arizona Credit Card Interchange Fees

Arizona’s HB 2629 stealthily caps interchange fees by targeting sales tax, bypassing federal oversight while shifting costs to consumers and small businesses.

Tags Banking, Consumerism, Credit, Credit Cards, Debt, Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Durbin Amendment, Interchange Fees, Rewards, Spending

Budget and Spending Culture Debt Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Government Spending Legal and Judicial Markets and Finance New Mexico Political Thought Poverty and Inequality Top Issues

Albuquerque Journal: A state-run bank would put taxpayers on the hook for risky loans

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date February 17, 2025
No Comments on Albuquerque Journal: A state-run bank would put taxpayers on the hook for risky loans

A state-run public bank is a dangerous experiment in government overreach that will burden taxpayers, distort credit markets, and fail where private financial institutions succeed.

Tags Bank of North Dakota, Banking, Credit, Lew Wallace, Public Bank

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

Earned Wage Access: A Financial Lifeline or the Next Credit Trap?

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date February 1, 2025
No Comments on Earned Wage Access: A Financial Lifeline or the Next Credit Trap?

Earned Wage Access (EWA) has rapidly gained traction amidst the demand for short-term liquidity, but questions remain about the preservation of borrowers’ financial autonomy.