Category Regulation
Understanding the Community Reinvestment Act and Its Modernization Proposals
Kim Wilson, MPP Staff Writer, Brief Policy Perspectives In 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) into law. Congress enacted the CRA to combat redlining and encourage banks to increase their lending in nearby low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities. “Redlining” refers to the practice of loan officers refusing to lend to entire communities […]
The Expiring QM GSE Patch: Implications for Credit Access and Economic Stability
Kim Wilson, MPP Staff Writer, Brief Policy Perspectives Policymakers are considering alternatives to an expiring rule exemption intended to protect mortgage borrowers and prevent defaults. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) established the qualified mortgage (QM) government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) patch to enable lending to creditworthy borrowers with debt-to-income (DTI) ratios above 43 percent. Proponents of the patch argue […]
Let’s Get Real: Perspectives on the Fed’s Real-Time Payment Processing Initiative
Kim Wilson, MPP Staff Writer, Brief Policy Perspectives The Federal Reserve Board of Governors recently announced plans to develop a real-time gross settlement (RTGS) system. FedNow ServiceSM will facilitate the instantaneous transfer of funds between financial institutions, businesses, and individuals. Currently, the process of transferring funds from an originator to a recipient can take several days, leaving consumers hanging […]
Regulatory Sludge: Reducing Paperwork to Preserve Our Time
Julie Balla, MPA Candidate Time is the most precious commodity – let’s see if we can find ways to give our fellow citizens more of it. – Cass Sunstein Cass Sunstein, Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard and former Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), delivered keynote remarks at the Society […]
Legalization of Medical Cannabis as a Policy Response to the Opioid Epidemic
Thomas J. Rachko Jr., MPA Staff Writer, Brief Policy Perspectives An advertisement displayed on a bikeshare dock near GW’s campus proclaims “Choose Plants Over Pills.” The advertisement is part of an educational series created by the National Holistic Healing Center, a Washington, D.C. and Maryland-based medical cannabis dispensary. The dispensary aims to share “both the anecdotal […]
Reducing Negative Externalities of Natural Gas Production: Exploring Regulatory Alternatives
Jessica Blackband, MPP, Staff Writer, Brief Policy Perspectives A recent Pew study found that Americans perceive climate change as one of the top global security threats, second only to ISIS. Ancipicating significant long-term costs to human and natural communities, regulatory agencies wrestle with how to best manage climate risks. While advances like hydraulic fracturing are thought […]
GW WonkCast S3E14-1: Below the Fold: The Right to Repair and a Net Neutrality Update
In this Below the Fold, co-Host Gabe Moss dives into the right to repair. How do companies like Microsoft, John Deere, and Apple prevent customers from repairing products they buy? Next, co-Host Eli Richman takes a look at net neutrality four months after the policy change. How have internet service providers changed their practices and […]
