Skip to content
Southwest Public Policy Institute
  • Research
    • White papers
    • Policy briefs
    • Model legislation
    • Testimony & comments
    • Coalition letters
    • Litigation
    • Amicus briefs
    • All work
  • Issues
    • Consumer Finance
    • Insurance Regulation
    • Housing
    • Government Transparency & Accountability
    • Economic Opportunity
    • Energy, Environment & Natural Resources
    • Education Freedom & Reform
    • Health Care
    • Public Safety
  • Op-Eds
  • Newsroom
    • Press releases
    • In the news
    • SPPI-TV
  • Events
  • About
    • About SPPI
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
    • Contact
Donate

Personal Finance

  • All
  • Amicus Brief
  • Coalition Letter
  • Event
  • In the News
  • Litigation
  • Model Legislation
  • Op-Ed
  • Policy Brief
  • Press Release
  • SPPI-TV
  • Testimony & Comments
  • White Paper
  • Op-Ed

    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.

    Originally published inThe Washington Post

    Patrick M. Brenner  |  March 10, 2026

  • Op-Ed

    Trump’s Tariffs Are Changing How Consumers Use Credit

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

    Originally published inDC Journal

    Lucas J. Parker  |  December 15, 2025

  • Policy Brief

    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…

    Ed Harris  |  October 15, 2025

  • Policy Brief

    Compounding Interest: The Case Against the Confused Case Against the Case Against 30-Year Mortgages

    In his letter responding to my column in The Wall Street Journal, “The Case Against 30-Year Mortgages,” former Freddie Mac executive David Andrukonis defends the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage as a transparent, borrower-friendly product. In “A Confused…

    Patrick M. Brenner  |  October 13, 2025

  • Policy Brief

    Compounding Interest: Reader Replies, Part IV

    When you publish in The Wall Street Journal, you have to expect a few readers to come out swinging. Some disagree on principle; others on tone. And then there are those who lecture you like you…

    Patrick M. Brenner  |  October 9, 2025

  • Policy Brief

    Compounding Interest: Reader Replies, Part III

    The responses to my article for The Wall Street Journal “The Case Against 30-Year Mortgages” keep coming… They’re thoughtful, challenging, and occasionally humbling. What started as a critique of an outdated lending standard has evolved into…

    Patrick M. Brenner  |  October 9, 2025

  • Policy Brief

    Compounding Interest: Reader Replies, Part II

    When The Wall Street Journal published my op-ed, “The Case Against 30-Year Mortgages,” I expected disagreement. What I didn’t expect was the flood of thoughtful, funny, and occasionally fiery responses from readers across the country. Read…

    Patrick M. Brenner  |  October 9, 2025

  • Policy Brief

    Compounding Interest: Reader Replies, Part I

    After my recent op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, “The Case Against 30-Year Mortgages,” readers had plenty to say. Some were critical, most were kind, and many brilliantly insightful. Below is a selection of responses, shared…

    Patrick M. Brenner  |  October 9, 2025

  • White Paper No. 6

    Swipe Right

    How comparison shopping tools and lead generators revolutionize consumer access to products and services.

    Patrick M. Brenner, Anna M. Gonzalez, and Lucas J. Parker  |  May 10, 2025

  • Policy Brief

    The US Bank Simple Loan is Hardly Simple

    The US Bank Simple Loan is a classic example of how big banks can take something simple and make it incredibly complex.

    Patrick M. Brenner  |  May 16, 2024

1 2
Next Page
Southwest Public Policy Institute

202.505.1769  |  southwestpolicy.com  |  info@southwestpolicy.com

Post Office Box 1746  |  Bernalillo, New Mexico 87004

Southwest Public Policy Institute  |  Better living through better policy

501(c)(3) nonprofit  |  EIN 88-2196936

Research

  • White papers
  • Policy briefs
  • Model legislation
  • Testimony & comments
  • Coalition letters
  • Litigation

Commentary

  • Op-eds
  • Press releases
  • In the news
  • SPPI-TV

Institute

  • About
  • Staff
  • Board of Directors
  • Events
  • Contact

Support

  • Donate
  • Champions
  • Newsletter

© 2026 Southwest Public Policy Institute

Privacy Policy

X  |  LinkedIn  |  Facebook  |  Instagram  |  YouTube