January 1, 2021 — Issue Brief

The federal banking agencies (Office of the Comptroller of the Currency or OCC, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or FDIC, and the Federal Reserve or Fed) have a responsibility to ensure that bank products are safe, responsible, and accessible for all communities and that banks are not engaged in or enabling predatory lending. But in the last few years, we have seen federal bank regulators protect predatory lenders. Urgent action is needed to stop the use of rent-a-bank arrangements and new types of bank charters to eviscerate state interest rate limits that stop predatory lending. Banking agency leadership must be committed to that priority and to the other strong consumer protections discussed below, including safe faster payments, an end to overdraft fee abuses, and affordable bank small dollar loans.