CEI has fought excessive regulation in the financial sector from laws such as Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank. We have scored major bipartisan victories for deregulation. These include the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act, signed by President Obama in 2012, that lifted or relaxed some of the biggest burdens preventing small and midsize firms from raising capital and going public; and the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, signed by President Trump in 2018, that lifted some of Dodd-Frank’s crushing burden on community banks and credit unions. We continue to fight to remove regulatory barriers that limit choices and increase costs for entrepreneurs, investors, and consumers.
Banking and Finance Issue Areas
Featured Posts
Cato Institute
The Fate of ‘Never Needed’ Regulations
Parking lots and parking garages have served for decades as venues for clandestine meetings in the movies and often in reality. In the early 1970s,…
News Release
House poised to end Biden-era CFPB overdraft rule: CEI statement
The House is expected today to vote on a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution overturning a Biden era Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule to cap…
Issues & Insights
Reviving Community Banking By Lifting Barriers To New Banks
Americans have far fewer banks to choose from than they once did. The American banking industry has consolidated, with the number of U.S. banks falling…
Search Posts
Letters
CEI joins ATR to Protect Taxpayers Wallets
Dear Members of Congress, Taxpayer dollars should benefit Americans, not subsidize organized labor. Under current law, federal employees can continue to earn their taxpayer-funded salaries…
Cato Institute
The Fate of ‘Never Needed’ Regulations
Parking lots and parking garages have served for decades as venues for clandestine meetings in the movies and often in reality. In the early 1970s,…
News Release
House poised to end Biden-era CFPB overdraft rule: CEI statement
The House is expected today to vote on a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution overturning a Biden era Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule to cap…
Issues & Insights
Reviving Community Banking By Lifting Barriers To New Banks
Americans have far fewer banks to choose from than they once did. The American banking industry has consolidated, with the number of U.S. banks falling…
Letters
CEI joins National Taxpayers Union on revised Senate Budget
Dear Leader Thune: On behalf of the undersigned organizations, we write in support of your decision to bring a revised budget to the floor of…
News Release
CFPB seeks to un-do lawsuit against small mortgage firm: CEI statement
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau this week took the unusual step of requesting to vacate a lawsuit and settlement penalizing a small Chicago-based mortgage…
Blog
Yes, women had access to credit before 1974
March is Women’s History Month, a time to acknowledge and celebrate many “firsts” for women in public life. One of those “firsts” is the ability…
Letters
CEI joins ATR Coalition Urging CRA on Medical Debt Rule
Dear Member of Congress, We are writing to express our concerns regarding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s finalized rule on eliminating medical debt records from…
Letters
CEI joins ATR to address the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s last-minute efforts to expand its own regulatory authority to govern digital wallets and overdraft fees.
Dear Member of Congress: We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, urge you to address the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) last-minute efforts to expand its…
Letters
CEI joins ATR coalition letter in opposition of Credit Card Competition Act
We, the undersigned organizations, oppose efforts to impose price controls on credit cards. Whether through the inaccurately named Credit Card Competition Act or price…
Letters
CEI Joins ATR in opposition to the Internal Revenue Service’s midnight rulemaking on digital asset brokers.
Dear Member of Congress, We, the undersigned organizations, write to express our opposition to the Internal Revenue Service’s midnight rulemaking on digital asset brokers.
Blog
Trump SEC makes tremendous progress against crypto-stifling regulation
Gary Gensler’s SEC worked at a frenetic pace to shut down innovation in the crypto sector. Without rhyme or reason, the Biden-Gensler SEC moved fast…
Blog
Will BlackRock revive Social Security reform?
Earlier this week mega asset manager BlackRock hosted a high-profile public event in Washington, D.C. focused on retirement savings, with several A-list panelists from…
Blog
Gov. Youngkin should veto restrictive credit bill
While many watchful eyes focus on the economic impacts of actions of federal lawmakers inside the Beltway, pending legislation in a statehouse 100 miles south…
News Release
February inflation numbers not yet reflective of Trump’s tariffs: CEI analysis
Inflation rose 0.2 percent across all sectors in February, down from 0.5 percent in January. CEI senior economist Ryan Young says Trump’s tariffs did…
The Economic Standard
The CFPB drops its misguided case against Zelle
Seemingly as part of the general order to stop work by acting director Russ Vought, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has …
Blog
Trump EO on crypto reserves rightly eschews government purchases
After much anticipation, President Donald Trump’s newly issued executive order (EO) on a “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve” and “digital asset stockpile” does not call for…
News Release
Fintech’s Buy Now, Pay Later system helps consumers budget wisely: CEI analysis
Klarna, a Swedish financial technology (FinTech) company, is set to file publicly on the US stock market as soon as next week. Klarna’s Buy Now,…
Blog
The CFPB drops its misguided case against Zelle
Seemingly as part of the general order to stop work by acting director Russ Vought, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has dropped…
Op-Eds
Op-Ed: Why states should avoid the temptation to tax unrealized gains
Prospects for a federal wealth tax could be nil in the Trump era, but states – specifically blue states – may be tempted to take…
News Release
House poised to debate rescinding Biden EPA methane tax rule
Today, the House is expected to debate a resolution of disapproval that would rescind the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) methane tax rule,…
Letters
CEI joins coalition letter highlighting Congress’s historic opportunity to expand on the success of health savings accounts (HSAs)
Dear Members of Congress, We, the undersigned organizations, are writing to highlight Congress’s historic opportunity to expand on the success of health savings accounts (HSAs)…
News Release
Trump administration appoints free market champion Mark Calabria to OMB post: CEI statement
The Trump administration has appointed free market advocate Mark Calabria as Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Associate Director for Treasury, Housing, and Commerce. CEI’s…
Blog
The FROGs are back: Will White House hop to it on guidance documents?
Donald Trump’s 2019’s Executive Order 13891, “Promoting the Rule of Law through Improved Agency Guidance Documents,” established online portals and inventories at…
Letters
CEI is in opposition to proposals that would raise taxes on carried interest investment income.
Dear Members of Congress, We the undersigned organizations write in opposition to proposals that would raise taxes on carried interest investment income. Carried interest is…
News Release
Constitutional challenge over spending power should be limited to executive powers – CEI analysis
Following his inauguration, President Donald Trump has made it known he intends to reduce federal spending. But a 1974 law called the Impoundment Control Act…
Op-Eds
Bill Would Prevent Banks From Discriminating Over Clients’ Ideology, But Here’s the Problem
The government shouldn’t pressure banks and other financial institutions to avoid doing business with politically controversial people and businesses, just as bakers should not be compelled…
Products
The Constitutionality of Presidential Impoundment
President Trump wants to cut federal spending, but the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 stands in his way. The law prohibits the president from reducing…
The Daily Signal
The Sneaky Way Government Unions Rake in Taxpayer Money, and How Congress Can Fight It in Reconciliation
The Daily Signal quoted CEI’s expert on budget reconciliation To drive the point home, Stern noted, “Your tax dollars quite literally go to pay for…
Blog
The SCRUB Act: Washing away Washington’s regulatory grime
The Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome (SCRUB) Act, introduced today by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), is a key step …
Joni Ernst
Ernst Makes President Trump’s Executive Action on Deregulation Permanent
Joni Ernst cited CEI’s expert on the SCRUB Act “The SCRUB Act and its Regulatory Cut-Go procedures mirror the new 10-for-one Trump architecture by requiring reduction that…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Defend yourself from debanking with Nick Anthony
In this week’s episode we discuss public confidence in the economy, California’s electric vehicle mandate, the prospect of a sovereign wealth fund…
Blog
Trump executive order puts independent agencies on a leash
President Trump’s new executive order, “Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies,” marks a major shift in regulatory oversight by bringing independent agencies…
Letters
CEI is in support of CRA on Medical Debt Rule
Dear Member of Congress, We are writing to express our concerns regarding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s finalized rule on eliminating medical debt records from…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: flax revenue and female test dummies
President Trump announced reciprocal tariffs. At this point it is uncertain how they would be implemented. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from butterfat testing to…
Blog
Goodbye to the roaring twenties of regulation? A cost roundup
The final Report to Congress on the Benefits and Costs of Federal Regulations from the Biden administration appeared January 15. Here at the middle…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Improving state finances with OJ Oleka
In this week’s episode we interview OJ Oleka, CEO of the State Financial Officers Foundation. We talk about how the new administration…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: Clothes dryers and nuclear reactors
It was a slow week for the Federal Register and a busy week for everything else. President Trump announced 25 percent blanket tariffs against Canada…
Blog
Senate debanking hearing should focus on government’s role in politicizing finance
Today the Senate Banking Committee is holding a hearing on debanking, which is the phenomenon of individuals and businesses in certain industries and with certain…
News Release
Bill capping credit card interest rates will curb consumer credit options: CEI analysis
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) today introduced legislation to cap credit card interest rates at ten percent, a plan that would have…
Blog
Zero to prosperity? New Trump executive order is a good start
Donald Trump’s return to the White House has brought a wave of executive orders, including his new “Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation” directive. Building on…
Blog
The good, the bad, and the ugly in Trump’s new regulation executive order
President Donald Trump issued a new executive order on regulation Friday reviving some of the core ideas from his first term. The order brings…
News Release
Trump’s pick for acting CFPB director is good news for consumers & financial innovation
CEI Director of Finance Policy John Berlau praised President Trump’s pick to act as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, following the firing of…
Blog
Agenda for Congress: Inflation
CEI’s new Agenda for Congress is out now. Each chapter contains pro-market policy recommendations in areas where CEI has expertise. Here are the ones…
Blog
Coinbase’s FOIA complaints against FDIC raise serious government transparency concerns
In the waning days of the Biden administration, whistleblowers and investigative journalists put forth alarming revelations of financial regulators jawboning banks to cut off services…
News Release
Fed maintains rates in first interest rate decision of the new year: CEI analysis
The Federal Reserve has announced that in the interest of fighting inflation, it will not cut rates at this time. CEI senior economist…
Letters
CEI opposes efforts concerning price controls on credit cards
Dear Member of Congress: We, the undersigned organizations, oppose efforts to impose price controls on credit cards. Whether through the inaccurately named Credit Card…
National Review
The Federal Reserve’s New Debit Card Rule Threatens Consumers and Banks
While some lawmakers and regulators are targeting credit cards, the Federal Reserve has plans for your debit card. The likely result will be…
News Release
Trump EO on digital currency welcomes innovation in cryptocurrency
President Trump today signed a pro-digital currency executive order establishing a President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets, within the National Economic Council, aimed…
Op-Eds
Affordable Housing – How Donald Trump Could Accomplish More Than Jimmy Carter
The passing of Jimmy Carter sparked much praise for his post-presidency good deeds, particularly his decades of volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity building homes…
