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Showing archive for:  “CFPB”

Facile claims of behavioral economics: too much choice; not enough privacy

Chris Hoofnagle writing at the TAP blog about Facebook’s comprehensive privacy options (“To opt out of full disclosure of most information, it is necessary to click through more than 50 privacy buttons, which then require choosing among a total of more than 170 options.”) claims that: This approach is brilliant. The company can appease regulators ... Facile claims of behavioral economics: too much choice; not enough privacy

Klick on Libertarian Paternalism: The Dangers of Letting Someone Else Decide

Jonathan Klick (Penn) is next up in the Cato Unbound forum on libertarian paternalism featuring entries from Glen Whitman and Richard Thaler (and one from Shane Frederick coming).  My initial reaction to Thaler’s response to Whitman was that it was far too dismissive, defensive, and a bit out of tone for my own liking, but ... Klick on Libertarian Paternalism: The Dangers of Letting Someone Else Decide

"So when you listen to economists, you're listening to amateurs"

So says David Zaring over at the Conglomerate — at least when it comes to the topic of regulation.  I don’t buy it.   Anyway, here’s the complete quote for context: Economists love to suggest new regulatory structures (or, more often, why they will not work).  But, of course, they have no training in regulation, and ... "So when you listen to economists, you're listening to amateurs"

Has the Obama Administration Retreated From Behavioral Economics?

The WSJ implies that the answer is yes in an interesting article describing the Obama administration’s changing views on behavioral economics and regulation.  The theme of the article is that the Obama administration has eschewed the “soft paternalism” based “nudge” approach endorsed by the behavioral economics crowd and that received so much attention in the ... Has the Obama Administration Retreated From Behavioral Economics?

Posner cites Wright

I’m sure it’s an honor just to be nominated. A recent opinion from Judge Posner cites our very own Josh Wright (Joshua D. Wright & Todd J. Zywicki, “Three Problematic Truths About the Consumer Financial Protection Agency Act of 2009,” Lombard Street, Sept. 14, 2009, available here) (by the way, the essay has drawn a ... Posner cites Wright

David Evans Makes the Case Against Revamping Consumer Protection

Economist, co-author, and sometimes TOTM guest David Evans (UCL, University of Chicago School of Law) has an excellent note on “Why Now is Not the Right Time To Revamp Consumer Protection,” based on remarks made at the New York Federal Reserve Board-New York University Conference on Regulating Consumer Financial Products yesterday in New York.  Evans ... David Evans Makes the Case Against Revamping Consumer Protection

Not Going Anywhere For A While?

Try reading H.R. 4173.  All 1300 pages of it.  The portion of the bill creating the Consumer Financial Protection Agency starts around page 665 for those keeping score at home.

Interchange Legislation as Counterproductive Consumer Protection Regulation

I want to begin with the premise that the legislation pending in Congress, in whatever form is ultimately adopted, will be successful in reducing interchange fees before turning to the question of whether such a reduction can be justified.  Proponents of interchange fee legislation offer two basic defenses of the legislation.  The first is as a ... Interchange Legislation as Counterproductive Consumer Protection Regulation

The CFPA's Effect on Consumer Credit and A Wager Proposal for Professor Levitin

Professor Adam Levitin is not impressed by our prediction of the effect on consumer credit of the CFPA.  Readers might recall that, using estimates from the literature on the effect of regulatory shocks on interest rates and of the long-term debt elasticity, we offered a (in our words) “rough calculation” of the “lower bound” of ... The CFPA's Effect on Consumer Credit and A Wager Proposal for Professor Levitin

Evans and Wright on The Effect of the CFPA Act of 2009 on Consumer Credit

David Evans (University of Chicago; University College of London) and I have posted to SSRN our draft, The Effect of the CFPA Act of 2009 on Consumer Credit. Here’s the abstract: The U.S. Department of the Treasury has submitted the Consumer Financial Protection Agency Act of 2009 to Congress for the purpose of overhauling consumer ... Evans and Wright on The Effect of the CFPA Act of 2009 on Consumer Credit

Wright & Zywicki on the Consumer Financial Protection Agency Act of 2009

I noted last week that my colleague (and Volokh Conspirator) Todd Zywicki and I had written an essay, published in a Fin Reg 21 Symposium on the Consumer Financial Protection Agency Act of 2009, on “Three Problematic Truths About the Consumer Financial Protection Agency Act of 2009.”  The essay is now available on SSRN for ... Wright & Zywicki on the Consumer Financial Protection Agency Act of 2009

President Obama, the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, and Consumer Choice

My colleague Todd Zywicki and I have a piece out in Lombard Street today on the proposed new Consumer Financial Protection Agency.   The issue has a number of contributions from proponents and critics of the new agency.   The piece is well timed, with President Obama making the case for the CFPA in his Wall Street ... President Obama, the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, and Consumer Choice