Woodstock Institute

08/10/2026

CHICAGO: Join us on October 21 for a conversation with Oscar Perry Abello about his new book, The Banks We Deserve.

In the book, Abello challenges those working for social and economic justice to support community financial institutions and to call for policies and regulatory reforms that will help tilt the landscape back in favor of community capital.

Moderated by Michael Emancipator from the Independent Community Bankers of America.

Don't wait! Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-banks-we-deserve-a-conversation-with-author-oscar-perry-abello-tickets-1992788698642?aff=oddtdtcreator

07/31/2026

Advocates are opposing OppFi's application for a bank charter, citing the Chicago-based lender’s extensive history of evading state rate cap laws.

OppFi made a 159.5% APR loan to an Illinois consumer in 2024, over four times higher than the State's 36% rate cap.

CHICAGO – Illinois consumer advocates are opposing Opportunity Financial’s (“OppFi”) application for a bank charter, citing the Chicago-based lender’s extensive history of evading state rate cap laws to make loans in excess of 100% APR.

07/13/2026

Thank you to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and 14 other state attorneys general for amplifying serious concerns about Enova International’s application for a bank charter through its proposed acquisition of Grasshopper Bank.

Enova is a notorious high-cost lender whose loans often carry triple-digit interest rates that trap borrowers in debt. Approval by the federal government would set an alarming precedent by allowing Enova to offer these harmful products in the many states that have banned usurious high-cost lending, including Illinois.

Learn more:

07/07/2026

Woodstock President & CEO Horacio Méndez joined WTTW yesterday to discuss the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.

“For those that are blessed enough to be able to have a home, they have a singular focus of seeing the value of that home go up,” Méndez said. “Therefore, the mismatch between supply and demand works in their favor.”

Watch here:

President Donald Trump has so far declined to sign the measure, calling it a “big yawn.” The housing bill will automatically become law on July 10 unless the president decides to veto it.

06/22/2026

Unprecedented Bids Could Create the First National Banks Dedicated to Predatory Lending

06/16/2026

The 2026 Economic Justice Awards were a success!

Thank you to all our sponsors and to everyone who came out and helped us honor Dr. Helene Gayle, former President & CEO of the The Chicago Community Trust, and Fred Campobasso, Chief Lending Officer at Great Lakes Credit Union.

We also used this year’s event to celebrate and say farewell to our decade-long Senior Vice President of Policy & Advocacy, Brent Adams.

Check back here for upcoming Woodstock events, including a 50th anniversary celebration of the Community Reinvestment Act happening in late 2026!

See more photos here: https://woodstockinst.org/woodstock-updates/2026-economic-justice-awards/

06/16/2026

06/05/2026

Thank you to LatinoProsperity and The Resurrection Project for convening this week's excellent conversation on closing the Latino wealth gap.

One takeaway: Illinois has a relatively strong reputation for advancing Latino prosperity. And while the data shows marginal gains compared to other states, the data also conceals wide disparities within and across different Latino communities.

Participants brought a wide range of backgrounds and industry knowledge, adding much-needed complexity to an issue that necessarily resists one-size-fits-all answers.

06/02/2026

Great news: SB 3777 passed in the Illinois General Assembly!

Known as the Civil Rights Safeguard Act, this legislation would enshrine disparate impact in the Illinois Human Rights Act even as it faces attacks at the federal level. Disparate impact has historically been a crucial legal tool for enforcing anti-discrimination laws, including landmark civil rights legislation such as the 1968 Fair Housing Act and the 1974 Equal Credit Opportunity Act.

Thank you to the advocates and lawmakers who helped push this bill across the finish line, including the Illinois Department of Human Rights and bill sponsors Senator Adriane Johnson and Representative Justin Slaughter.

Learn more in the piece below by Woodstock Senior Regulatory Policy Associate Jane Doyle:

The Department of Human Rights is working to pass legislation (SB 3777) enshrining disparate impact liability in our Human Rights Act.

06/01/2026

“If the president wants to provide people relief from high-interest debt ... he should lead a crackdown against high-cost credit schemes,” writes a consumer advocate lawyer.