Political Quotes

“Mr. President, experts blame credit default swaps and collateralized debt obligations for the financial crisis. The fact is, these complicated financial products were based on mortgages sold to families who couldn't afford them, credit cards with hidden fees, and loans targeted to low-income individuals with up to 400 percent interest rates. The financial regulators ignored their responsibility to protect consumers from these predatory practices. Because there was not one regulator solely responsible for consumer protection, the financial regulators pointed their fingers at the other guy when the system collapsed. Consumers lost $17 trillion in household wealth and retirement savings almost overnight. That is why a bipartisan group of 60 Senators voted last year to consolidate consumer protection authority into one agency: the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The CFPB was given new responsibilities to oversee nonbank actors who deal in payday loans, prepaid cards, student loans, and credit reporting. Mr. President, 200 million Americans rely on credit reporting agencies when they make a big purchase and sometimes when they apply for a job. An estimated 20 million people use payday lenders to make ends meet. I wish they didn't, but they do. Many of them face up to 400 percent interest rates to obtain these short-term loans. Four million Americans have prepaid debit cards.…”