This post was written by Travis A. Sabalewski and Nicholas F.B. Smyth.

Direct from Richmond, Virginia: yesterday, I (Travis) visited the Greater Richmond Convention Center, where the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced at a field hearing a sweeping proposal for new rules regarding payday/deposit advance loans, auto title loans, and certain high-interest, longer-term loans. (A Fact Sheet summary is here.) After CFPB Director Richard Cordray outlined the CFPB’s proposal, the Bureau heard from, first, a panel of industry and consumer advocates and, then, members of the public. The hearing was packed and the audience ̶ comprised of payday lender employees, consumer advocates, and others ̶ lively, with one or another of those groups applauding after nearly every person’s turn at the microphone.

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