Pew studies financial products to understand how they can be made safer and more transparent. Pew’s research informs policy solutions to create more effective consumer protections.
The consumer banking initiative studies the accounts that Americans rely on every day to manage their finances, including checking accounts, prepaid cards, and mobile payments.
The small-dollar loans project focuses on small-dollar credit products such as payday and automobile title loans, as well as emerging alternatives.
Our Work
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A Year After CFPB Proposed a Rule for Small Loans, Borrowers Still Await Reform
June 2 marked the one-year anniversary of the release of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s official Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Payday, Auto Title, and Certain High-Cost Installment Loans. The CFPB received more than 1 million comments on the proposal. Pew’s research indicates that federal regulation is important, but the proposal misses the mark by allowing 400 percent... Read More
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How OCC Can Help Banks Disrupt the Payday Loan Industry
President Trump has recently named an acting comptroller of the currency, the head of the federal agency regulating large banks. As the American Banker noted, some big questions await the agency. While much is at stake for our country’s banks, a lot is on the line for individuals and their families as well. One important opportunity that the next Office of the Comptroller of the Currency... Read More
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Repeal of Prepaid Card Protections Would Harm Consumers
Millions of consumers use prepaid cards and other products that work like debit cards but are not tied directly to a bank account to manage their financial lives. In the early 2000s, these cards operated in a sort of “Wild West,” with few rules to protect users. Read More
