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New Economy Project Advances Community Ownership in New York
New Economy Project was featured in the latest case study in the Center for Community Investment’s Ecosystem Stewardship: Building the Infrastructure for Shared Ownership series.
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Shelterforce: How Public Banks Can Meet Public Needs
What could your community do if your city or state owned its own bank? In 2020, the nonprofit organization Action Center on Race & the Economy published a study showing that state and local governments pay $160 billion in annual interest on the money they borrow.
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Federal Judge Deals Major Blow to Predatory Fintech, Says “Earned Wage Access” Advances Are Payday Loans
Last week, a second federal court in New York joined a growing number of courts rejecting the fintech industry’s tired claim that so-called “earned wage access” (EWA) cash advances aren’t loans. In Freeman v. Bridge It, active-duty service members sued EWA company “Brigit” for making high-cost loans in violation of the federal Truth In Lending…
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$650 Million and Counting: New Online Tool Tracks Massive Fee Drain from New Yorkers’ Paychecks by Illegal Cash Advance Apps
New Economy Project today released a new interactive tool revealing the massive and growing stream of fees that so-called “earned wage access” (EWA) apps are extracting from New Yorkers’ paychecks—exacerbating the state’s affordability crisis and deepening racial wealth inequality.
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Online Payday Lenders Look to Skirt New York Restrictions
Assemblymember Steven Raga, a Queens Democrat, and Katy Lasell, of the New Economy Project, make the case for rewriting New York’s consumer protection laws to regulate the latest evolution of payday lenders that are skirting existing restrictions on loans.
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55+ Groups Urge Albany to Boost Funding for CLTs and Community-Controlled Housing in State Budget
On Monday, 55 community groups and advocacy organizations from across New York State delivered a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and key state legislators urging $7.5 million in the FY 2027 budget for two critical programs that support community-controlled housing, including community land trusts (CLTs).
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Gothamist: Mamdani Halts NYC’s ‘Predatory’ Private Tax Lien Sale Process
Mayor Zohran Mamdani will halt the city’s controversial tax lien sale and potentially scrap it altogether over concerns that the process exposes homeowners to “predatory debt collectors” and foreclosure, City Hall said Tuesday.
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The Village View: Activists Decry Wall Street, Call for NYC Public Bank
The acoustics weren’t great but the message was crystal clear. Big banks are systematically screwing ordinary New Yorkers by using taxpayer money to underwrite schemes that promote usury, risk destabilizing financial markets, support ICE, endanger tenants, and deprive regular New Yorkers of services and resources.
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WBAI’s Housing Notebook
New Economy Project’s Executive Director Deyanira Del Rio joins former Met Council organizer Dave Powell to speak about Francis Goldin and the ongoing legacy of her work — the fight for Community Land Trusts.
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AMNY: Mamdani Co-Signs Comeback of Nonprofit Property COPA Bill Vetoed by Adams
A hotly debated housing bill that would give nonprofits first dibs on property purchases — vetoed by former Mayor Eric Adams hours before he left office — is likely to get a new chance to pass under the Mamdani administration. Its sponsor is already anticipating lawsuits attempting to stop it.
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Community Groups, Elected Officials Name NYC’s “Worst Banks” at Public Awards Ceremony
As Wall Street profits soar while New Yorkers face a sharply rising cost of living, mounting debt, displacement, and environmental injustice, community groups and elected officials today named New York City’s “Worst Banks” at a mock awards ceremony outside a Citibank branch in Lower Manhattan.
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The Fight for COPA Continues, Launching the STOP Act, Worst Banks Awards, and More
In our first newsletter of 2026, we share updates on the fight for COPA, a major land bank bill victory, our work with the Mayor on financial justice, the launch of the Stop Taking Our Pay Act, and the return of the Worst Banks Awards.