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
The National News Desk
Inflation steady in February, but war risks new price surge
The National News Desk cited CEI’s expert on CPI data “The longer the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, the greater the upward pressure on energy…
News Release
Inflation increases in February, predates new soaring energy prices: CEI analysis
The Consumer Price Index report for February shows a 0.3 percent increase across all sectors. The increase predates the escalation in the Middle East,…
Blog
The Senate housing bill’s road to socialism
In the last week of February, I expressed hope that members of Congress would “embrace free-market proposals to advance opportunities in the housing sector”…
Search Posts
USA Today
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau could see wings clipped
USA Today discusses the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Director Richard Cordray with John Berlau. It has been all over the board. Critics hope…
Blog
Sen. Elizabeth Warren Tries to Silence Fiduciary Rule Critics
Sen. Elizabeth Warren has frequently resorted to intimidation to effectively silence those with views which she disagrees. This is particularly true for critics of the…
Blog
Deregulate to Speed Recovery from ‘Creative Destruction’ of Trade and Innovation
Government regulation limits the ability of individuals and businesses to recover from normal economic setbacks.
Blog
Financial Regulation Executive Order a Step in the Right Direction
A new White House executive order aims to redesign how financial institutions are regulated by the federal government.
Blog
Smart Move for White House to Push Back on Fiduciary Rule, Dodd-Frank
President Trump’s forthcoming executive actions—expected to halt the Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule and call for review of Dodd-Frank regulations—will greatly benefit middle-class investors, entrepreneurs,…
News Release
Statement on President Trump’s Financial Regulation Executive Order
Statement from Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Iain Murray on President Trump’s Executive Order concerning regulating the financial system: “CEI welcomes today’s executive order from the Trump…
CNBC
Here’s what everybody is getting wrong about changes to banking rules
CNBC discusses repealing the Dodd-Frank Act with John Berlau. While Trump can roll back some measures through executive order, there are other provisions…
Reason.com
Frankly, Trump’s Plan To Review and Reform Dodd-Frank Makes a Lot of Sense
Reason.com discusses repealing burdensome aspects of the Dodd-Frank Act with John Berlau. Beyond the question of bailouts, reviewing and reforming the Obama administration’s…
Daily Caller
Trump Signs Executive Order To Rip Up Dodd-Frank ‘Disaster’
The Daily Caller discusses the White House halting the Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule with John Berlau. While Friday’s action establishing the framework…
Blog
Congress Should Eliminate SEC Rule that Discloses Company Information to Foreign Governments
Congress should pass a joint resolution of disapproval and block the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rule relating to ‘‘Disclosure of Payments by Resource Extraction Issuers.”…
Blog
Harry Potter and the City Council Chambers
The MacIver Institute documents the temptation of local governments to spend taxpayer money on “economic development” projects and tourist events.
Blog
Blockchain Business Council to Help Secure Property Rights for World’s Poor
The launch of the Global Blockchain Business Council at the 2017 World Economic Forum is good news for the world’s venture capitalists and poor alike.
Blog
Coalition Defends Reform of Credit Union Lending Rules
A dozen conservative and free-market groups have signed onto a coalition letter to preserve deregulation of credit union lending.
Letters
CEI Leads Coalition Opposing Repeal of Member Business-Lending Rule of the National Credit Union Administration
View Full Document as PDF Dear President-Elect Donald Trump and Vice President-Elect Mike Pence, As conservative, libertarian, and free-market organizations concerned about…
CNN Money
Trump should fire CFPB Director Richard Cordray: GOP
CNN Money discusses the president removing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s director with John Berlau. However, it’s not exactly clear if Trump will…
Blog
Clayton Must Work for Both Small and Large Investors at SEC
Jay Clayton, and anyone who goes on to serve on the Commission, must advance the interests of both Main Street investors and entrepreneurs trying to…
Crowdfund Insider
Jay Clayton to Join SEC During Unprecedented Need to “Cut the Red Tape”
Crowdfund Insider speaks with John Berlau on President-elect Trump’s nominee of Jay Clayton for Securities and Exchange Commission chair. Seeking additional perspective, Crowdfund…
Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: The War on Science and the Economy
Check out RealClear Radio Hour’s last episode with free market stalwarts John Tierney and Peter Wallison.
The Wall Street Journal
Obama’s Regulations Aren’t the Only Trump Target
Overregulation didn’t start during the Obama administration. President-Elect Trump and the new Congress need to go further.
Blog
Five New Year’s Resolutions for a New Administration
Now is the perfect time for members of the incoming Trump administration to reflect on where America is and set policy goals for the coming…
Bloomberg
Make Banks Great Again? G.O.P. Push to Ax Key Agency Poses Risks
Bloomberg discusses the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau with Iain Murray. “There are all sorts of risks,” said Iain Murray, vice…
CNN Money
Elizabeth Warren watchdog under siege
CNN Money discusses the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and its director with John Berlau. CFPB Director Richard Cordray has “inundated Main Street financial…
Blog
Must-Have Gifts for America’s Wish List
It isn’t Christmas Day yet, much to the chagrin of impatient youngsters, but it’s already time for America to put together a wish list for…
Blog
Congress Needs to Fix America’s Broken Financial System
Whole forests have been cut down to print the books written about the financial crisis of 2007/8 and America’s response to it.
CNN Money
What’s the Best Way to Create More Jobs?
Unleash the power of small business. The US Senate just passed a bill called the Small Business Jobs and Credit Act. The thrust of the…
CNN Money
A Third Strike Against US Businesses
By responding hastily and irrationally to the recent upsurge in corporate indebtedness, congressional tax-writing committees might well create a major economic distortion in an already-biased…
Tulsa World
Credit Reports Used by Insurance Companies
Blog
A Free Market Policy Agenda for the Trump Administration
CEI’s free market policy agenda for the incoming Trump administration is aimed at strengthening the economy and removing barriers to economic freedom in five key…
Politico
Trump vs. Yellen
Politico's Morning Money highlights CEI's policy reform recommendations for the Trump administration. The libertarian Competitive Enterprise Institute is releasing a series of short…
Study
First Steps for the Trump Administration: Restore Financial Freedom
View full document as a PDF Over the past 15 years—beginning with the George W. Bush administration and accelerating rapidly in the…
Blog
Five Ways CFPB Regulations Harm the Middle Class
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was set up in 2010 to “make consumer financial markets work for consumers, responsible providers, and the economy as…
Blog
A Pro-Growth Agenda for the 115th Congress
At CEI, we believe a clear agenda is necessary to move America toward economic growth, prosperity, and liberty for individuals to chart their own paths…
Politico
Aggressive fight promised over Pruitt EPA nomination
Politico's Morning Money highlights CEI's financial policy priorities for the 115th Congress. CEI has a new finance/banking reform agenda for Congress out Thursday.
Blog
Treasury Nominee Mnuchin Promising on Volcker Rule and Fannie and Freddie
Steven Mnuchin would bring to the Treasury Department valuable experience managing entrepreneurial ventures and company turnarounds. He has expressed some encouraging sentiments on housing policy…
Products
Free to Prosper: Banking and Finance
View the full chapter on Banking and Finance here Access to capital is fundamental to the operation of a free society. It allows for…
Independent Journal Review
It’s Time For The New President And Congress To Think Big When It Comes To Cutting Government Waste
Political revolutions don’t come around often: Margaret Thatcher in Britain in 1979, the fall of the Berlin Wall in Eastern Europe in 1990, the Contract…
Forbes
Court Must Overturn ‘Obamacare for your IRA’
Note: This column was coauthored by Pamela Villarreal, senior fellow at the Dallas-based National Center for Policy Analysis. Access to financial advice and a variety…
The Heartland Institute
Federal Judges Demand CFPB Structure Shake-Up
The Heartland Institute discusses the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau with Iain Murray. Iain Murray, vice president of strategy for the Competitive Enterprise Institute,…
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…
