#39 Diane Standaert, Center for Responsible Lending

How do you create a more just financial marketplace? We explore this question with Diane Standaert, Executive Vice President, Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), a nonprofit dedicated to economic justice and the elimination of predatory lending. As Diane explains, the problem is rooted in racially exclusionary and discriminatory policy making, exacerbated by the 2008 mortgage crisis. Payday lenders prosper by pulling poor people in need of small dollar loans into a debt trap. CRL conducts empirical research to demonstrate the scope of the problem to state and national policymakers. It partners with local nonprofits, the faith community and veteran's groups to advocate for solutions, from ballot initiatives to state-based legislation. And it advocates on a national level for the embattled Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a champion of consumer rights. Check out the vital work led by CRL and Self-Help, it's influential and innovative lending partner.