The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) is Self-Help’s research and policy affiliate. CRL works to combat predatory lending, close the racial wealth gap and fight for a financial marketplace that works for everyone.
In 2025, thanks in large part to CRL’s ongoing efforts, Rhode Island became the 21st state to cap payday loan interest rates at 36% APR, down from 261%. The victory came after nearly 15 years of sustained advocacy.
“This law will prevent payday lenders from draining millions of dollars in fees annually and instead keep that money in the pockets of Rhode Islanders who really need it.”
— Monica, CRL Policy Counsel
CRL also released research documenting how Minnesota’s 36% rate cap saved families more than $4.5 million annually. Separately, CRL defended the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau against sustained efforts to dismantle it, with CRL President
Mike Calhoun and other staff authoring op-eds and testifying before Congress on the bureau’s critical role in protecting consumers.
Housed within CRL, the Julian Bond Institute for Financial Equity Research (JBI) is gathering the data that will inform the next 25 years of inclusive financial policy through its 2050 survey, Ambition Without Access. Follow @JulianBondInstitute
on YouTube to watch their podcast, “The Viewpoint,” to learn more.
Responsible Lending & Systemic Change
Predatory loans exploit vulnerable borrowers, often pushing them into cycles of debt through unjust terms that can lead to default, property seizure and lasting financial harm. At Self-Help, responsible lending means making sure the debt is
manageable so that borrowers can retain ownership of their assets and build wealth. CRL’s advocacy work extends that commitment to the policy level, fighting for a financial marketplace where predatory products have no place.