Better living through better policy.

Tag: financial regulation

SPPI Files Amicus Brief Supporting the Federal Reserve in Major Debit Card Case

Post author By Southwest Public Policy Institute
Post date December 30, 2025
No Comments on SPPI Files Amicus Brief Supporting the Federal Reserve in Major Debit Card Case

A major federal court case could reshape debit card economics nationwide, impacting payment security, reliability, and everyday consumer transactions.

Tags Amicus Brief, Banking Policy, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Card Payment Security, Checkout Transactions, Constitutional Law, Consumer Protection Policy, Corner Post Lawsuit, Court Of Appeals, Credit Union Policy, Debit Card Transactions, Durbin Amendment, Economic Policy, Electronic Payments, Federal Reserve Board, Fifth Amendment Takings, Financial Access, financial inclusion, financial regulation, Fraud Prevention, Household Finance, Interchange Fees, Investment Incentives, James Madison Institute, Legal Interpretation, Market Stability, Merchant Fees, National Economic Impact, Network Processing, Payment Card Policy, Payment Infrastructure, Price Controls, Public Policy Debate, Regulatory Litigation, Retail Payments, Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI), Transaction Monitoring, U.S. Economy

Coal, Oil, Natural Gas Conservatism Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Energy & Environment Energy Economics Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Government Regulation Government Spending Government Transparency and Accountability Markets and Finance Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Press Progressivism Public Opinion Top Issues Updates

In the News: National Media and Policy Leaders Highlight SPPI

Post author By Southwest Public Policy Institute
Post date December 25, 2025
No Comments on In the News: National Media and Policy Leaders Highlight SPPI

National media, policy leaders, and regional voices alike are amplifying SPPI’s research, analysis, and solutions.

Amicus Curiae Conservatism Corner Post, Inc. v. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System Courts Culture Cybersecurity Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Infrastructure & Technology Legal Legal and Judicial Life Markets and Finance North Dakota Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Public Opinion Technology The Constitution Top Issues Updates

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 Culture Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Life Markets and Finance Political Thought Progressivism Public Opinion Top Issues Updates

The Real Story Behind What’s “Inside” Your 401(k)

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date December 17, 2025
No Comments on The Real Story Behind What’s “Inside” Your 401(k)

Why collective investment trusts deliver lower costs without sacrificing fiduciary protections.

Tags 401(k), Asset Allocation, Capital Markets, Collective Investment Trusts (CITs), Cost Efficiency, Defined Contribution Plans, Department of Labor (DOL), Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans, Excessive Fee Litigation, Expense Ratios, Fiduciary Duty, financial inclusion, Financial Journalism, financial regulation, Financial Services Policy, Independent Auditors, Institutional Investing, Investment Choice, Investment Fees, Investment Oversight, Investment Transparency, Investor Education, Investor Protection, Jason Zweig, Legal Risk, Liquidity Management, Long-Term Investing, Market-Based Retirement Solutions, Mutual Funds, Plan Fiduciaries, Plan Sponsors, Portfolio Diversification, Private Assets, Private Credit, Private Equity, Regulatory Risk, Retirement Litigation, Retirement Plan Costs, Retirement Plan Governance, Retirement Planning, Retirement Policy, Retirement Reform, Retirement Savings, Retirement Security, Risk-Adjusted Returns, Target-Date Funds, Target-Date Investing, Third-Party Valuation, Trial Lawyers, Valuation Standards, Wall Street Journal, Wealth Building, Workplace Retirement

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

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

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 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)

Culture Debt Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Housing Markets and Finance Political Thought Poverty and Inequality Public Opinion Reader Replies Top Issues Transparency Updates

The Real Cost of Homeownership: Beyond the Mortgage and APR

Post author By Ed Harris
Post date October 15, 2025
No Comments on The Real Cost of Homeownership: Beyond the Mortgage and APR

This guest commentary was written by Ed Harris, CEO of Harris Northwest Advisors and a Visiting Contributor at the Southwest Public Policy Institute. In his argument about APR, Patrick Brenner is wrong but inadvertently correct on a larger point he doesn’t address. An APR calculation is mathematically accurate. Most fixed-rate 30-year mortgages are priced similarly, […]