Better living through better policy.

Tag: Banking Regulation

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 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

Budget and Spending Conservatism Courts Crime and Justice Culture Cybersecurity Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Government Spending Infrastructure & Technology Legal and Judicial Life Markets and Finance Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Public Opinion Technology The Constitution Top Issues Updates

Vought Charts New Path for the CFPB

Post author By Lucas J. Parker
Post date October 4, 2025
2 Comments on Vought Charts New Path for the CFPB

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau headquarters in Washington, D.C. — once the central regulator of financial services, now overshadowed by a growing patchwork of state attorneys general enforcement.

Russell Vought signals a shift toward proportional, efficient regulation after years of CFPB overreach under Rohit Chopra.

Tags Apple, Banking Regulation, Bureaucratic Reform, CFPB, Consent Orders, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Consumer Protection, Economic Policy, Financial Innovation, financial regulation, Fiscal Responsibility, Government Oversight, Regulatory Overreach, Rohit Chopra, Russell Vought, Trump Administration, US Bank, Washington Federal

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

The Hill: Why senators’ efforts to kill overdraft fees is overkill

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date September 11, 2025
1 Comment on The Hill: Why senators’ efforts to kill overdraft fees is overkill

Capping overdraft fees won’t help struggling families, it will cut off their last line of credit.