Hold the Big Banks Accountable

Oppose Legal Immunity for Lenders Pushing Unaffordable Loans

Big Bank lobbyists are working to defang a provision of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law. The provision they are trying to weaken would prevent the banks from pushing unaffordable loans on unsuspecting families.

They’ve recruited Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) to attach get-out-of-jail-free language for the banks to a non-controversial piece of legislation, the Responsible Homeowner Refinancing Act (S. 3522), a bill which will make it easier for consumers to refinance at current low-interest rates.

The Corker amendment, if allowed to pass, would grant the banks legal immunity, even when they push predatory loans they know that consumers won’t be able to pay back.

Aggressive sales of unaffordable loans containing hidden fees, tricks and traps were at the heart of the financial crisis and the foreclosure disaster.

Don’t let them get away with it.

Urge your senators to oppose legal immunity for banks that make unaffordable loans.

 

Please type your zip code into the box below. Then, please take a moment to add your own words to the email message that appears. This greatly increases the likelihood that your message will make a difference. We also urge you to follow up your message by calling your senators. The phone number for the U.S. Capitol Switchboard is (202) 224-3121. If you call, us know how it went with an email to action@citizen.org.


Spread the Word

 


Financial Reform Initiatives



Join Our Social Networks

Copyright © 2013 Public Citizen. All rights reserved. This Web site is shared by Public Citizen Inc. and Public Citizen Foundation.
Learn More about the distinction between these two components of Public Citizen.


Public Citizen, Inc. and Public Citizen Foundation

Together, two separate corporate entities called Public Citizen, Inc. and Public Citizen Foundation, Inc., form Public Citizen. Both entities are part of the same overall organization, and this Web site refers to the two organizations collectively as Public Citizen.

Although the work of the two components overlaps, some activities are done by one component and not the other. The primary distinction is with respect to lobbying activity. Public Citizen, Inc., an IRS § 501(c)(4) entity, lobbies Congress to advance Public Citizen’s mission of protecting public health and safety, advancing government transparency, and urging corporate accountability. Public Citizen Foundation, however, is an IRS § 501(c)(3) organization. Accordingly, its ability to engage in lobbying is limited by federal law, but it may receive donations that are tax-deductible by the contributor. Public Citizen Inc. does most of the lobbying activity discussed on the Public Citizen Web site. Public Citizen Foundation performs most of the litigation and education activities discussed on the Web site.

You may make a contribution to Public Citizen, Inc., Public Citizen Foundation, or both. Contributions to both organizations are used to support our public interest work. However, each Public Citizen component will use only the funds contributed directly to it to carry out the activities it conducts as part of Public Citizen’s mission. Only gifts to the Foundation are tax-deductible. Individuals who want to join Public Citizen should make a contribution to Public Citizen, Inc., which will not be tax deductible.

To become a member of Public Citizen, click here.
To become a member and make an additional tax-deductible donation to Public Citizen Foundation, click here.