Below is a sample letter to the editor
Dear {NAME OF YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER} EDITOR:
Working Americans loathe Wall Street greed. They despise big banks that sneak illegal charges and fees onto customers’ monthly statements to pad the profits. And they detest lenders that willfully deceive them about the terms of their home or auto loans, or defraud them into taking on new financial burdens. Yet, some in Congress seek to undermine the public’s best weapon, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), to curb the worst of Wall Street.
Congress created the CFPB after the great economic crisis of 2008 to protect consumers from Wall Street’s risky conduct. Since its opening in 2011, the CFPB has returned more than $12 billion to 27 million consumers ripped off by financial institutions that broke the law.
The CFPB also issues reasonable rules to encourage banks and lenders to treat their customers fairly. For example, it has taken steps to implement protections for home loans and to curb payday loan debt traps. An important upcoming safeguard will restore customers’ right to band together in court. Most Wall Street firms prevent their customers from suing, and require them to take disputes on their own to private and costly arbitration. This sneaky roadblock to the legal system has helped corporations avoid punishment for unlawful behavior.
With new and changing Wall Street schemes, we need the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau now more than ever. That’s why our representatives in Congress [including YOUR SENATOR’s NAME] must stand up for [YOUR STATE RESIDENTS] and the U.S. economy by defending and protecting the work and mission of this important watchdog.
YOUR NAME
TITLE
Phone Number, Email Address
CITY, STATE
