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
Blog
How SAFER Banking Act poses new dangers to marijuana and other legal industries
Marijuana has been in the news lately, and the news seems to be overwhelmingly favorable to the industry in terms of reducing uncertainty as to…
Blog
Fed flirts with stimulus
As expected, the Federal Reserve signaled its commitment to fighting inflation by holding interest rates steady at this week’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting. It…
Blog
Weak GDP is first stress test for inflation fighters
I have been saying for a while that inflation expectations will remain high until policymakers prove they can restrain their stimulus spending during an economic…
Search Posts
Sun-Sentinel
Five ways President Trump could jump-start economic growth
Too many Americans feel left behind by the weak economic growth and diminished job opportunities under the Obama administration. Too many people have seen their…
Blog
Free Market Opportunities for the Trump Administration
This election has given us one more demonstration that knowledge is dispersed and “trusting the experts” to know the future is foolish. The unexpected success…
Blog
Obamacare Policies Are Costly and Unpopular
Obamacare policies are unpopular, and people often dump them months later.
Blog
New Credit Union Deregulation Helps Consumers and Entrepreneurs
In my Forbes column last week, I wrote about how America’s credit unions faced massive new regulatory burdens from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Blog
5 Scariest Halloween Regulations
Regulatory dark matter is a Washington boogeyman. In 2015, there were 39 regulations for every one law passed by Congress. That’s a lot of rules…
Blog
Obamacare Increases Premiums, Reduces Employment
Health care insurance premiums will increase significantly next year as a result of the Affordable Care Act, and many consumers will be left with access…
Blog
ACLU Blasts Federal Bank Regulators for Unconstitutional Power Grab
Unaccountable agencies unsurprisingly behave in an unaccountable manner. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was recently found by a Federal court to be so unaccountable…
Forbes
Next President Should Fire CFPB’s Cordray
“You’re fired!” A certain presidential candidate made that phrase famous. But whoever is elected to the White House this November should say those words to…
National Review
Bureaucrats Threaten the Rule of Law
Donald Trump’s recent refusal to promise he’ll accept the presidential election’s result has raised much concern. Yet, there has been little outcry over Consumer Financial…
Politico
Sandberg demurs on going to Washington
Politico's Morning Money highlights Sam Kazman's reaction to the federal court's ruling on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Competitive Enterprise Institute: “Today’s ruling…
National Review
CFPB “Structurally Unconstitutional” – US Court of Appeals
In a rare victory for the Constitution and American political tradition, the US Court of Appeals from the DC Circuit today found that the…
The Fiscal Times
In Win for Conservatives, Court Rules Consumer Bureau Unconstitutional
The Fiscal Times discusses with Sam Kazman, the courts ruling that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is unconstitutional. However, from its founding, the…
Reason
A Limited Victory for Limited Government as CFPB’s Structure Ruled Unconstitutional
Reason discusses the federal court ruling that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is "structurally unconstitutional" with Hans Bader. In a lawsuit challenging the…
Blog
Regulators Target Payday Loans, But Put Borrowers in a Bind
Payday loans are a form of small-dollar, short-term credit used by lower- and middle-income consumers, principally to enable them to withstand expense shocks and to…
Daily Caller
Killer New Regulations On Loans Hurt Women, Blacks The Most
The Daily Caller reports on CEI's study by Hilary B. Miller on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's proposed pay day lending rule. A…
Daily Caller
Killer New Regulations On Loans Hurt Women, Blacks The Most
The Daily Caller reports on CEI's study of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's proposed rule on payday lending. A new report Monday shows…
News Release
Borrowers in Dire Straits Over Government’s Payday Lending Restrictions, CEI Report Warns
A Competitive Enterprise Institute report released today warns that many Americans will be hurt, not helped, by new restrictions on lending imposed by the…
Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: Penniless Presidencies and Fashioning America
This week, we discuss two new books covering the national debt crisis and political values with authors Dr. Alan Axelrod and Cathy Lynn Taylor.
NewsBusters
Liberals, Media Allies Might Face Some Serious Opposition on Financial Regulation
New York State’s Department of Labor recently made headlines with its rules mandating that employers paying their workforces with prepaid debit cards ensure that employees…
Blog
Mr. Robot and the Future of Money
Last week, the cult USA channel TV show Mr. Robot showed once again why it is required viewing for anyone interested in technology.
Blog
Wells Fargo and the Principal-Agent Problem
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has celebrated the $100 million fine it has imposed on San Francisco bank Wells Fargo for its employees’ improper handling…
Blog
How Financial CHOICE Act Rescues Unbanked Americans
If the New York State Department of Labor is really concerned about unbanked employees being hit with fees, it should lend its support to the…
Blog
Financial CHOICE Act, Replacement for Dodd-Frank, Passes Out of Committee
The House Financial Services Committee today approved the Financial CHOICE Act (FCA) 30-26 largely along party lines.
Las Vegas Sun
Durbin amendment of Dodd-Frank a miserably bad attempt at price control
Las Vegas Sun discusses the Durbin amendment of the Dodd-Frank bill with Sam Kazman. The disappearance of free debit cards and free checking…
Blog
Federal Subsidies Won’t Promote Fair Housing
Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine recently outlined his and Hillary Clinton’s plan to promote fair housing. Basically, they want to throw money at the…
Crowdfund Insider
Will CFPB Move to Limit Arbitration Undermine Alternative Finance?
Crowdfunding Insider reports on CEI's comments on the Consumer Financial Bureau's proposed ban on arbitration regarding certain consumer financial agreements. While the intent may…
The Atlantic
Could Reviving a Defunct Banking Rule Prevent a Future Crisis?
The Atlantic features John Berlau's argument against the revival of the Glass-Steagall rule. Election years are a time when politicians put on their…
Forbes
CFPB Anti-Arbitration Rule Will Harm Consumers and FinTech
"Gotcha!" That’s what the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) claims binding arbitration clauses in consumer finance contracts often amount to. In these clauses, consumers agree…
Comment
Comments to the CFPB on Barring Arbitration Agreements
View Document as PDF On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), we are pleased to provide the following comments on the…
News Release
CEI Opposes Regulator Limits on Arbitration Option for Financial Products
The Competitive Enterprise Institute on Monday submitted public comments with the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) opposing a proposed rule to limit the option…
Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: Taxpayers on the Hook
This week on RealClear Radio Hour, Michael Tanner tallies Uncle Sam’s ballooning entitlement debt and Romina Boccia pulls back the cover on the Beltway crony…
Blog
Tepid Economic Performance Argues for Cutting Government Red Tape
How is the economy doing? It’s a mixed picture.
Blog
Elon Musk Angry at Having to Compete for Taxpayer Handouts
“Rent seeking” occurs when companies secure government benefits for actions that do not otherwise create wealth.
Blog
Financial Transaction Tax Would Hit Main Street, Not Just Wall Street
When progressives were defending the Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule governing retirement accounts, they constantly praised the regulation for encouraging investment in low-cost index funds.
Blog
Challenging the Constitutionality of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Our constitutional challenge to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is once again on hold, but this time the delay may be relatively short.
Digital Journal
Dawn J. Bennett, Host of Financial Myth Busting, Interviews John Berlau, Economist
Financial Adviser Dawn Bennett interview John Berlau on the Securities Exchange Commission's in-house court. BENNETT: John Berlau is a senior fellow at the…
Blog
A Disappointing Bipartisan Agreement on Banking Regulation
Last night at the Democratic National Convention, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) gave a speech covering a number of controversial campaign issues, focusing in particular on…
Forbes
How Glass-Steagall’s Return Would Shatter America’s Hometown Banks
Set against the Main Street backdrop of Cleveland, the drafters of the Republican convention platform pledged support for a banking rule signed into law by…
Bloomberg
Trump’s VP Wears His Opposition to 2008 Bank Bailouts With Pride
Bloomberg discusses the GOP platform's support of reinstating the Glass-Steagall Act with John Berlau. In addition to scaling back Dodd-Frank — which Republicans…
National Review
GOP Platform Contains Serious Mistake on Banking
One of these things is not like the other. In the generally good section of the GOP’s Platform entitled Regulation: The Quiet Tyranny (p.27-28), there…
News Release
Partial Ruling in Dodd Frank Case Confirms that Cordray 2012 Appointment was Illegal
Yesterday, the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia confirmed that Richard Cordray’s 2012 recess appointment to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was…
Blog
‘Crexit’ Votes Will Help U.S. Entrepreneurs and Investors
In yet another blow against the Brexit chicken littles, not only have the large British companies comprising the FTSE 100 gained back all the losses…
Crowdfund Insider
The Fix Crowdfunding Act Passes House & Heads to the Senate
Crowdfund Insider discusses bills to expand the JOBS Act with John Berlau. John Berlau, a Senior Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, described…
Blog
Investors Got into Fiduciary Rule Conversation Months before John Oliver Joined in
“Fiduciary Rule Goes Prime Time,” reads the headline of a recent cover story of the magazine Investment News. The story argues that after political comic…
Forbes
If ‘Fiduciary Rule’ Goes Through, the Joke Is On American Savers
John Oliver’s viewers may think of themselves as the smart set, but the popular TV comic recently suggested that he rather deems them dim bulbs…
Blog
Interchange Debate Rears Its Head in Canada
The debate over the effects of interchange fees (the charges a bank levies on a merchant when one its customers uses a credit or debit…
Blog
Why Shouldn’t the Energy Department Run the Entire Economy?
New Energy Department standards for dehumidifiers promise massive benefits. Depending on which set of numbers you prefer (the link goes to the Energy Department’s own…
Blog
CEI Support for Rep. McHenry’s “Fix Crowdfunding Act”
Today, the House Financial Services Committee will likely be voting on Rep. Patrick McHenry’s Fix Crowdfunding Act, a much-needed expansion of the bipartisan Jumpstart Our…
Forbes
Improve Access to Capital & Access to Wealth Creation With More Crowdfunding Deregulation
In this hyper-partisan era, the one thing Republicans and Democrats seem to agree on is the need to enable entrepreneurs and small businesses to gain…
Blog
Export-Import Bank Drama Continues
The Senate’s main business right now is the annual Defense Appropriations bill. The Export-Import Bank, or Ex-Im for short, might become part of that bill.
Blog
House Plan to Replace Dodd-Frank Provides Long-Needed Alternative
On Wednesday, House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling announced the main features of his comprehensive plan to replace Dodd-Frank, the flawed response to the…
The Heartland Institute
Congress Votes to Block New Broker Regulations
The Heartland Institute discusses the fiduciary rule with Senior Fellow John Berlau. John Berlau, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, says…
Politico
Payday Lending Rule Fly-Around
Politico's Morning Money features John Berlau's statement on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's new payday lending rule. CEI’s John Berlau: “The CFPB's rule…
Watchdog.org
Get ready for Obamaloans: New regs could drive payday lenders out of business
Watchdog.org discusses the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's plan to crackdown on payday lending with Iain Murray. Iain Murray, a vice president at the…
News Release
CEI Expert Warns: CFPB Payday Lending Rule Will Hurt the Poor
The CFPB is expected to propose a new rule on June 2 restricting so-called payday lending. CEI financial policy expert John Berlau warns that new…
National Review
“Income Inequality” – Missing the Point
President Obama, Paul Krugman tells us, has declared war on income inequality. In fact, income inequality is at the root of just about everything…
Legal NewsLine
U.S. Senate passes resolution to block DOL’s fiduciary rule
Legal NewsLine discusses Congress's resolution of disapproval blocking the Department of Labor's fiduciary rule with John Berlau. John Berlau, a financial policy expert at…
News Release
CEI Finance Policy Expert Supports Senate’s Vote to Block Fiduciary Rule
Today, the Senate voted against the Labor Department's fiduciary rule by approving the House-passed resolution of disapproval, under Congressional Review Act auspices. CEI financial policy expert…
Blog
CFPB Moves to Cut Off Any Loans to People with Bad Credit
According to the federal government, people may have to live on the streets, but at least they aren’t being “exploited” by companies who are willing…
Daily Caller
Revolving Door Swings As Feds Take Posh Jobs At Big Banks
The Daily Caller discusses the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau with John Berlau. John Berlau, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a…
Blog
Crowdfunding Rules: Four Years Late and Millions Short
Today, Monday, May 16, more than four years and one month after Congress passed and President Obama signed the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act…
Watchdog.org
Lending influence: Progressive group profits from pushing financial regs
Watchdog.org discusses new regulations from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau with John Berlau. One of the chief advocates of the CFPB’s regulatory actions…
Newsmax
Let’s Fix Crowdfunding so Middle-Class Investors Can Profit
More than four years and one month after Congress passed and President Barack Obama signed the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act of 2012, the…
National Review
Google Bans Payday Loan Ads: Who Needs Operation Choke Point?
Yesterday, Google announced in a blog post that it was changing the terms of its advertising service to ban payday-loan ads. Their reasoning was…
Foundation for Economic Education
Is the British Prime Minister a Tax Dodger?
It’s the issue that consumed British politicians and newspapers at the end of April. What Britons do about it will determine whether their nation will…
Newsmax
Financial Protection Bureau Takes Aim at Consumers
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) just proposed limiting binding-arbitration clauses in credit card contracts and other forms of consumer credit. This does not come…
National Review
The CFPB Moves to Ban Arbitration Clauses — Better Lawyer Up
Add another 377 pages to the ever-burgeoning length of the Dodd-Frank Act. Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Racket Bureau announced that it would use its…
Wealth Management
Why the DOL Rule Is Bad for Small Savers
The Department of Labor’s (DOL) “fiduciary rule,” likely to first take effect in June unless blocked by Congress or the courts, will deprive small…
Legal Newsline
U.S. House passes resolution to block DOL’s fiduciary rule
Legal Newsline reports on a letter from CEI and other organizations to Congress urging them to pass a resolution of disapproval to block the Department of Labor's Fiduciary…
Letters
CEI and 30 Free-Market Groups Support Vote to Block Labor Department’s Fiduciary Rule
Full Document Available in PDF Members of Congress: We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, represent millions of Americans in defense of free…
Blog
CEI Supports Vote to Block Labor Department’s Fiduciary Rule
Today, Congress has the opportunity to block the costly "Fiduciary Rule."…
Blog
FSOC Misunderstands Leverage, Threatens Risk Management
The Financial Stability Oversight Council recently released its “Update on Review of Asset Management Products and Activities,” in which it questions “how certain asset…
National Review
A Chance to Stop Obamacare for Your IRA
A few weeks ago I warned about the Department of Labor’s “Fiduciary Rule” – Obamacare for your retirement accounts. Now comes a chance…
Blog
The Chilling Effect of Dark Matter
Here at CEI, we know all about the chilling effect of executive power. We also know quite a bit about the extent to which…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition to Oppose Taxpayer Bailouts for Government-Run Insurance Schemes
Full Document Available as PDF Dear Representative, On behalf of the millions of citizens represented by the undersigned groups, we write in…
Bloomberg
As Dodd-Frank Fight Continues, the Resistance Scores Some Victories
Bloomberg discusses the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau with CEI's Sam Kazman. That fact, combined with the CFPB’s independence from the congressional appropriations process,…
Blog
Who Died and Made Dodd-Frank Regulators Gods?
Meet the new deities. They apparently sit on the Financial Stability Oversight Council and other regulatory agencies, especially those created by the Dodd-Frank banking “reform”…
Blog
Final Fiduciary Rule: Dave Ramsey May Get Relief, But the Rest of Us Don’t
While the final rule may have been less severe, it still won’t keep middle-class savers from losing access to brokers and insurance agents.
Washington Times
Obama imposes more regulations on financial advisers
The Washington Times discusses the Department of Labor's fiduciary rule with John Berlau. “The fiduciary rule is like Obamacare for your IRA and…
National Review
Obamacare for Your IRA is Here
This administration can’t see a private market transaction it can keep its hands off. The latest example is a new regulation with the snooze-inducing title…
Blog
Obama Unveils Fiduciary Rule this Week, Putting Middle Class Investors in a Bind
Today, the Labor Department plans to unveil new regulatory restrictions on 401(k)s and IRAs. That means less access to financial advice and fewer options for…
Forbes
MetLife’s Victory Also Good for Fintech Innovators
Insurance giant MetLife won a big victory Wednesday as a district court rescinded the government’s designation of the firm as “systemically important.” Though not…
Forbes
How the Fiduciary Rule Will Harm Fintech and Startups
Add startup entrepreneurs and Fintech innovators to the long list of potential victims of the Department of Labor’s pending fiduciary rule. There is already bipartisan…
Comment
Comments to the SEC on Derivative Regulation
Full Document Available in PDF The SEC proposes this rule “to take an updated and more comprehensive approach to the regulation of funds’…
Newsmax
Obama Spouts Big Govt at Austin Festival
President Obama traveled here to the ongoing South by Southwest festival from Washington, D.C. — and so did I. In his March 11 presentation, he…
Blog
Berlau at SXSW: Let’s Cut Red Tape Strangling Uberization of Finance
AUSTIN, TX—President Obama traveled here to the ongoing South by Southwest festival from Washington, D.C., and so did I. In his March 11 presentation, he …
Blog
Questions for CFPB Director Richard Cordray
Tomorrow, Richard Cordray, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, will face questions from the House Financial Services Committee. Here are some of the questions…
National Review
The CFPB is a Great Example of Why People Feel Powerless
Tomorrow, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray takes the stand at a House Financial Services Committee hearing. He deserves to be hauled over the…
Politico
Politico Morning Money – GOP debate wrap
Politico's Morning Money highlights John Berlau's response to a Slate piece on the fiduciary rule and financial radio broadcasters. Berlau Pushes Back —…
Wall Street Journal
Will the Fiduciary Rule Silence Media Personalities?
The Wall Street Journal discusses John Berlau's analysis of the Department of Labor's fiduciary rule. Early this month, the Competitive Enterprise Institute said…
Forbes
Yes, The Fiduciary Rule Could Censor Dave Ramsey And Others Providing Over-The-Air Financial Tips
If there were a “fiduciary” rule requiring pundits to accurately describe a pending bill or regulation to their readers, Slate’s Helaine Olen would be in…
New American
Proposed Federal Regulation Could Squelch Popular Financial Advisers
The New American discusses the Department of Labor's proposed fiduciary rule with John Berlau. The Obama administration has proposed a regulation that the…
The Blaze
Here’s Why a New Obama Regulation Could Mean Trouble for Dave Ramsey and Suze Orman
The Blaze reports on the Department of Labor's fiduciary rule and highlights John Berlau's report on the proposed rule. “In fact, according to…
NewsBusters
How Convenient: Labor Dept. Rule May Remove Financial Advice From the Airwaves
Media Research Center's NewsBusters mentions John Berlau's article on how the fiduciary rule will censor financial radio personalities. As John Berlau at the…
Western Journalism
Wow: The Obama Admin Is About To Do Something That Could Crush Dave Ramsey
Western Journalism reports on the Department of Labor's fiduciary rule and highlights John Berlau's study on the proposed rule. In a study by…
Forbes
How Fiduciary Rule May Censor Financial Broadcasters Like Dave Ramsey
Popular financial radio show host Dave Ramsey caused a firestorm on Twitter last week when he weighed in against the “fiduciary rule”—the controversial pending Department…
Blog
Australian Bank Devalues Rewards Scheme in Anticipation of Interchange Fee Cap
I fear I am beginning to sound like a broken record on the subject of payments card interchange fees, with the needle stuck on “We…
News Release
Report: Obama’s ‘Fiduciary Rule’ Harms Middle Class Investors
The Obama Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule will devastate middle class investors by blocking access to investment choices and guidance for their 401(k)s and IRAs,…
Daily Caller
REPORT: Feds Are Destroying Free Choice In The Retirement System
The Daily Caller discusses John Berlau's report on the Department of Labor's proposed fiduciary rule. The Department of Labor (DOL) has argued people…
Washington Free Beacon
Report: Rule Would Cost Middle Class $80 Billion in Lost Savings
The Washington Free Beacon highlights John Berlau's report on the Department of Labor rule that will hurt middle-class investors. The Department of Labor…