Better living through better policy.

Topic: Price controls

governmental restrictions on the prices that can be charged for goods and services

DC Journal: California’s Crackdown on Consumer Credit Just Hit a Wall

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date June 30, 2026
No Comments on DC Journal: California’s Crackdown on Consumer Credit Just Hit a Wall

The fight over bank-fintech partnerships is really a fight over price controls, preemption, and access to credit.

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

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

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

Amicus Curiae Conservatism Corner Post, Inc. v. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System Courts Crime and Justice Culture Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Government Transparency and Accountability 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

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

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 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

Budget and Spending Conservatism Courts Culture Cybersecurity Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Government Spending Housing Infrastructure & Technology Legal and Judicial Life Markets and Finance Political Thought Progressivism Public Opinion Reports Technology Top Issues Updates

Report: 1033 Error, Rule Not Sound

Post author By Southwest Public Policy Institute
Post date November 24, 2025
2 Comments on Report: 1033 Error, Rule Not Sound

The CFPB’s open-banking mandate endangers consumers.

Tags Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), Authorized Third Parties, Banks And Credit Unions, Chevron Deference, Comparison Shopping Tools, Consumer Data Access, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Consumer Protection Policy, Credit Karma, Cybersecurity Risks, Data Breach Risks, Data Governance, Data Monetization, Data Portability, Data Privacy Frameworks, Data Security, Data Sharing Agreements, Digital Financial Platforms, Dodd-Frank Act, Economic Freedom, Federal Court Injunction, Financial Compliance, Financial Data Aggregators, Financial Data Ecosystem, Financial Data Exchange (FDX), Financial Fraud Prevention, Financial Innovation, Financial Institutions, Financial Market Stability, Financial Privacy, Financial Regulation Reform, Financial Services Policy, financial technology, Financial Transparency, Fintech Regulation, Free Market Policy, Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), Lead Generators, Lending Tree, Liability Asymmetry, Loper Bright Decision, Major Questions Doctrine, Market-Based Innovation, Meta Fraud Report, National Security Risks, NerdWallet, Open Banking, Personal Financial Data Rights Rule, Plaid Data Connections, Price Controls, Regulatory Compliance, Regulatory Overreach, Rohit Chopra, Screen Scraping, Section 1033, Statutory Authority Limits, Third-Party Data Access, Trump Administration Rulemaking, Voluntary Industry Standards

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

RealClearMarkets: Sen. Richard Durbin’s Long-Term Love Affair With Price Controls

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date September 25, 2025
No Comments on RealClearMarkets: Sen. Richard Durbin’s Long-Term Love Affair With Price Controls

Originally published at realclearmarkets.com on September 22, 2025. Senator Dick Durbin has spent much of his career in a love affair with price controls. He flirted with them in his infamous Durbin Amendment, the addendum to the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act. He renewed his vows with Senators Bernie Sanders and Josh Hawley in pushing a 10 percent ceiling on credit […]