CFSI engages with private and governmental groups to encourage development of a policy and regulatory environment that will enable the financial service industry to profitably meet the short and long term needs of the underbanked. It does this by providing independent, objective information upon request, as well as by submitting comments on regulatory proposals that would potentially impact underbanked practice and innovation. Examples of this are its recent co-authorship of a policy brief with the New America Foundation, discussing the government's potential role in enhancing private sector solutions, and its comments regarding the Community Reinvestment Act.
CFSI executive staff have spoken at a variety of policy forums since the Center's inception, including The Brookings Institution's Symposium on Alternative Data and Access to Affordable Credit; the New America Foundation and the Congressional Savings and Ownership Caucus's Expanding Savings And Ownership: Low-Cost Solutions to the National Savings Program; and the Federal Reserve Board Research Conference: Promises and Pitfalls: As Consumer Finance Options Multiply, Who is Being Served and at What Cost?
