We are thrilled to announce that Patrick Brenner, president of the Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI), will be representing SPPI as a distinguished panelist at the Independent Women’s Forum. The panel will test a simple, powerful idea: how do we ensure fair lending policies for vulnerable Americans; and will bring together experts to address the potential harm caused by lending policies and explore strategies for protecting vulnerable individuals.
Joining Patrick Brenner on the panel will be moderator Carrie Sheffield and panelist Tirzah Duren. Carrie, a prominent figure in the financial sector, expressed her excitement about Patrick’s involvement, saying, “Patrick, we’d love to share your work on investigating banking fees.” Tirzah is the technology director of the American Consumer Institute.
SPPI has recently made significant strides in consumer advocacy and research, culminating in the groundbreaking release of two reports: “No Loan For You!” and “No Loan For You, Too!” These reports shed light on the challenges faced by Americans seeking specialized emergency loans and expose the shortcomings of alternative options provided by big banks and credit unions.
The initial study conducted by SPPI in New Mexico revealed that despite the endorsement of small-dollar short-term loan products by major banks such as U.S. Bank, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Huntington Bank, and others, these products often fall short of their promises. Credit unions, too, have been advocated as a viable alternative, but SPPI’s research has shown that these loans, offered both by credit unions and big banks, often exist merely on paper. The disappointing results were obtained through a meticulous emulation of the consumer experience, and subsequent studies replicated these findings across multiple states.
As a panelist, Patrick will share his expertise and insights gleaned from SPPI’s extensive consumer emulation research in the financial sector. His participation in the Independent Women’s Forum panel represents the Southwest Public Policy Institute’s commitment to promoting fair lending practices and protecting vulnerable Americans from exploitative policies.
We invite you to attend the Independent Women’s Forum panel discussion on Friday, July 7th at 1:00 pm Eastern (11:00 am Mountain) on YouTube to hear the esteemed panelists share their perspectives on ensuring fair lending policies.
You can access the stream here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA7G8F5EHHY
