Press Releases
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Statement on the Passage of S5923A/A6617A, Exempting Stimulus Payments from Debt Collection
“We applaud Senator Kevin Thomas, Assemblymember Helene E. Weinstein and the entire NYS Legislature for taking bold legislative action to exempt from collection all COVID-19 stimulus relief payments…”
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As NYC Council Holds Hearing on Groundbreaking Public Banking Bills, New Analysis Shows NYC’S ‘Designated Banks’ Extracted $5 Billion in Predatory Overdraft Fees During COVID-19
As the NYC Council’s Committee on Finance held its first hearing on a package of bills laying groundwork for a municipal bank, the Public Bank NYC coalition released new findings showing NYC’s “Designated Banks” – those authorized to hold municipal deposits – exacted more than $5 billion in predatory overdraft fees in 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic…
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NYS Legislators, Groups Call for Local Public Banks to Help Lead Recovery, Advance Racial and Economic Justice
Today, community, labor, and cooperative groups from across the state joined NYS Senate Banks Chair James Sanders Jr. and NYS Assembly Banks Chair Victor M. Pichardo to rally for the “New York Public Banking Act” (S1762A/A5782). The bill creates a regulatory framework for New York cities, counties and regions seeking to establish local public banks—financial…
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100+ Community And Labor Groups Back Groundbreaking Bill To Make Public Banking A Reality In New York
Today, more than 100 community, labor, and cooperative groups and community development financial institutions from across New York State delivered a letter to state legislative leaders, urging swift passage of the “New York Public Banking Act” (S1762A/A5782) as an urgent strategy to advance racial equity and ensure a just recovery for all New Yorkers.
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NYC Council Lays Groundwork to Abolish Giuliani-Era Lien Sale
The City Council has passed legislation charting the course for ending New York City’s tax lien sale, and replacing it with an equitable municipal debt collection system that preserves affordable housing and stabilizes Black and brown NYC neighborhoods.
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Federal Court Certifies Class Action Lawsuit Alleging NYC Transit Authority Seized Tax Refunds to Collect on Decades-Old Default Judgments, Violating Due Process
Yesterday, a federal judge certified a class action charging the NYC Transit Authority, an arm of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), with systemic due process violations. The civil rights lawsuit challenges the Transit Authority’s unlawful seizures of New Yorkers’ state tax refunds to collect on default judgments—some going back 20 years or more—without providing legally-required notice or a fair…
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Local Electeds, Groups, Call for Public Bank to Strengthen NYC Neighborhoods, Advance Racial and Economic Justice in Wake of Pandemic
Today, a citywide coalition of labor and community groups and community-based financial institutions joined with NYS Senators, Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams, and NYC Council Members to call for the creation of a public bank in NYC.
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News Release: NY/NJ Banking Committee Chairs, Groups, Decry Trump Proposal to Unleash Payday Lending
Today, chairs of New York and New Jersey’s Senate and Assembly banking committees and community leaders blasted the Trump administration’s proposal to allow predatory lenders to circumvent state usury laws and contravene the authority of state elected officials.
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News Release: NYC and Rochester Council Members Join 55 Groups in Urging Albany to Support Public Banks
Fifteen Members of the NYC Council delivered a letter last week urging the NYS Legislature to pass the New York Public Banking Act (S.5565-C/A.9665-D), a groundbreaking bill that creates a pathway for New York cities, counties and regions to form public banks—financial institutions established by local governments and chartered to serve the public interest.
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1,000+ New Yorkers Gather for Urgent Town Hall Calling for Public Banking to Ensure a Just COVID-19 Recovery
New York, NY – Yesterday, a broad coalition of community, labor, cooperative, environmental and economic justice groups convened a virtual town hall highlighting public banking as an essential strategy for ensuring a just COVID-19 recovery. The timely event, entitled “From Crisis to Recovery: NY’s Fight for Public Banking,” engaged more than 1,000 New Yorkers and…