Topic: Economic policy

Real Clear Markets: Credit Card Rate Caps Will Lead To a Shortage of Credit Cards

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date January 19, 2026
1 Comment on Real Clear Markets: Credit Card Rate Caps Will Lead To a Shortage of Credit Cards

Why a national credit card rate cap would shrink access and worsen inequality.

Tags Affordability Crisis, Capital Allocation, Command Economy Policies, Consumer Credit Policy, Consumer Debt, Consumer Finance Research, Consumer Protection Policy, credit access, Credit Building, Credit Card Accounts, Credit Card Interest Rates, Credit Card Limits, Credit Card Rate Caps, Credit Card Regulation, Credit Card Rewards Programs, Credit Contraction, Credit Market Infrastructure, Credit Markets, Credit Rationing, Credit Underwriting, Digital Payments, Donald Trump Economic Policy, Economic Freedom, Economic Inequality, Economic Policy Analysis, Federal Reserve Bank Of New York, financial inclusion, Financial Mobility, financial regulation, Financial Risk Pricing, Financial Stability, Fraud Protection, Free Market Economics, Household Debt, Household Finance, Housing Affordability, Inflation And Cost Of Living, Interest Rate Caps, Lending Standards, Market Distortions, Milton Friedman, Monetary Policy, National Interest Rate Cap, Online Commerce, Patrick M. Brenner, Payment Systems, Price Controls, Prime Borrowers, Regulatory Overreach, Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI), Subprime Borrowers, Temporary Government Programs, Trump Credit Card Proposal

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 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

Colorado Conservatism 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 Technology Updates

Victory in Colorado: HB25-1282 Defeated

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date April 30, 2025
No Comments on Victory in Colorado: HB25-1282 Defeated

A harmful swipe fee price control bill was defeated in the Senate after passing the House, marking a major victory for economic freedom.

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

2025 Legislative Session Budget and Spending Conservatism Culture Cybersecurity Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Education Education Freedom and Reform Energy & Environment Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Government Regulation Government Spending Government Transparency and Accountability Health Care Health Care Reform Infrastructure & Technology Legal and Judicial Life Markets and Finance New Mexico Nuclear Energy Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Taxes Top Issues Transparency Updates

Ready for Action: SPPI Kicks Off the 2025 New Mexico Legislative Session

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date January 21, 2025
No Comments on Ready for Action: SPPI Kicks Off the 2025 New Mexico Legislative Session

Senator Craig Brandt and SPPI President Patrick M. Brenner on the Senate floor for opening day—working together to champion freedom and opportunity for New Mexico.

SPPI kicks off the 2025 New Mexico legislative session, partnering with key lawmakers to advance a bold agenda for freedom, opportunity, and prosperity.

Tags Craig Brandt

2025 Legislative Session Conservatism Culture Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Life Marriage and Family New Mexico Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Public Opinion Top Issues Updates

House Bill 11: New Mexico’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Act Spells Disaster for Small Businesses

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date January 18, 2025
1 Comment on House Bill 11: New Mexico’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Act Spells Disaster for Small Businesses

The Paid Family and Medical Leave Act threatens to impose crushing financial burdens on small businesses and restaurants, risking closures, job losses, and economic instability across New Mexico.

Tags Cato Institute, Competition, Heritage Foundation, Mimi Stewart, New Mexico House Bill 11 (2025), New Mexico Restaurant Association (NMRA), Paid Family and Medical Leave, Patricia Roybal Caballero, Restaurants, Small Businesses, Taxation, Taxes

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

Albuquerque Journal: A public bank could crowd out community-based financial institutions

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date January 22, 2024
No Comments on Albuquerque Journal: A public bank could crowd out community-based financial institutions

The 2022 passage of House Bill 132, which set a stringent cap of 36% on interest rates for consumer loans, is having its intended and significant repercussions on New Mexico’s financial landscape. This was no accident: by restricting the interest rates that small-dollar lenders can charge, the rate cap effectively marginalized an entire segment of […]

Tags Albuquerque Journal, Credit, Debt, Interest Rate, Lending, Michelle Lujan Grisham, No Loan For You!, Patricia Roybal Caballero, Personal Finance, Public Bank

Budget and Spending Culture Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Government Spending New Mexico Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Top Issues Welfare

Las Cruces Sun News: A case for a permanent fund dividend

Post author By Megan DeLaRosa
Post date September 19, 2023
6 Comments on Las Cruces Sun News: A case for a permanent fund dividend

New Mexico stands on the cusp of a golden era, with its oil and gas boom enriching the state’s coffers to unprecedented levels. Now is the time to ensure that this wealth directly benefits the very people who make New Mexico vibrant and unique: its residents. Drawing inspiration from Alaska’s Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD), it’s […]

Tags Alaska, Economics, Oil and Gas, Permanent Fund, Permanent Fund Dividend, Tax Rebates

Arizona California Coal, Oil, Natural Gas Colorado Domestic Policy Energy & Environment Energy Economics Government Regulation Infrastructure & Technology Life Nevada New Mexico Nuclear Energy Oklahoma Renewable Energy Texas Top Issues Utah

Daily Caller: Gavin Newsome Should Rebuild His State’s Power Grid Instead of Destroying Everyone Else’s

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date August 3, 2023
1 Comment on Daily Caller: Gavin Newsome Should Rebuild His State’s Power Grid Instead of Destroying Everyone Else’s

Originally published at dailycaller.com on July 25, 2023. California’s power grid has been experiencing instability due to its outrageous energy goals, lack of nuclear power in its target portfolio mix, and recent heat waves. Governor Gavin Newsom has touted the state’s efforts to bolster renewable energy, but the reality is far from achieving those goals. The intermittent nature of […]

Tags Electricity, Gavin Newsome, Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), New Mexico Energy Transition Act (ETA), Nuclear, Nuclear Energy, Solar, Solar Energy, Utility-Scale Solar

Arizona California Colorado Domestic Policy Economy Government Regulation Markets and Finance Nevada New Mexico Oklahoma Political Thought Poverty and Inequality Public Opinion Texas Top Issues Updates Utah

Safeguarding Access to Lending Services for Unbanked and Low-Income Americans

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date July 10, 2023
No Comments on Safeguarding Access to Lending Services for Unbanked and Low-Income Americans

Last week, the Southwest Public Policy Institute joined Carrie Sheffield from the Independent Women’s Forum, Tirzah Duren from the American Consumer Institute, and Ann Petros from the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions for the panel discussion “Protecting Lending Services For Unbanked, Low-Income Americans”, part of IWF’s Center for Economic Opportunity Policy Chat series. In […]

Tags American Consumer Institute, Credit, Independent Women's Forum, Lending, National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions, No Loan For You, Payday Alternative Loan, Payday Loans