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News Release
Interest rates not budging, Fed to focus on inflation not stimulus: CEI analysis
The Federal Reserve announced today that they are holding steady on interest rates in a continued effort to combat inflation. CEI senior economist…

RealClear Markets
Michelle Bowman’s Reforms Will Help Reverse Dodd-Frank Damage
America’s community banks are disappearing and forming more infrequently. These local lenders once dotted every city and small town, offering small business loans, farm credit,…

Blog
Dodd-Frank 15 years later: How financial regulators leveled up
The leadup to Dodd-Frank This month marks the 15th anniversary of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act. This law was enacted in the wake…
Search Posts
Blog
Mnuchin Must Bring Transparency to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Recently-confirmed Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin must do everything he can to reverse the extreme secrecy practiced by the Obama Treasury Department.
Wall Street Journal
Why Stop at Dodd-Frank? Some Want Trump’s Regulatory Overhaul to Go Further
The Wall Street Journal discusses revamping a provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act with John Berlau. The fight over the rule has been…
Blog
Five Regulatory Heartbreaks on Valentine’s Day
Tomorrow we celebrate our significant other by showering them with affection and chocolate—but is government regulation getting in the way of your date night?…
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,…
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
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.
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…
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.
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.
Tulsa World
Credit Reports Used by Insurance Companies
Tulsa World
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…
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
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…
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,…
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
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
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…
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…
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…
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
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…