Featured stories
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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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Bringing Land and Housing into Community Hands
We are thrilled to announce the release of “Bringing Land and Housing into Community Hands,” a beautiful fold-out poster showcasing New York City’s growing community land trust (CLT) movement. Brimming with hand-drawn illustrations of actual CLT organizers and projects from across the five boroughs, the poster explains how CLTs work and how community members can…
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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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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.
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Statement on the City Council’s Failure to Override Eric Adams’ Veto of Int. 902-B, the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA)
Make no mistake: In choosing not to override Eric Adams’ veto of the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA), the New York City Council is siding with the real estate lobby over the interests of working-class New Yorkers and communities of color.
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Statewide Coalition, Lawmakers Unveil “Stop Taking Our Pay” (STOP) Act at Capitol Press Conference
On Tuesday, community groups, community development credit unions, and impacted New Yorkers from across the state joined lawmakers at the State Capitol to announce the introduction of the Stop Taking Our Pay (STOP) Act (S8939, A9644) sponsored by State Senator Samra Brouk of Rochester and Assemblymember Steven Raga of Queens. The STOP Act would crack down…
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Next City: The Clock Is Ticking For NYC To Save Community Opportunity To Purchase
Almost six years after the first version of the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA) was first put forward, New York City council members successfully passed the bill during one of their final meetings of 2025.