Consumer Law

Astroturfing? You Decide

By Alan White

By Alan White

With the avowed purpose of rebutting the policy research of the Center for Responsible Lending, a group calling itself the Consumers Rights League has launched a web site and garnered an article in Forbes critizing the work of CRL (the original one, not the new one.) Interestingly, the new group has consciously adopted the same acronym as its nemesis, who they refer to as a "predatory charity." The new group's web site offers no information about its staff, board or funding. Their mission statement, however, offers some clues as to who might be behind this new .org:

? We will document the benefits consumers receive from the democratization of credit through research and analysis.
? We will quantify the costs consumers will bear if these options are restricted.
? We will leverage the interests of millions of consumers to preserve their rights and expose the self-dealing of many within the ?consumer activist? community through public education.
? We will protect consumers? right to choose given the benefits consumers enjoy through a wide range of options.

In the past year, the Responsible Lending folks have gained considerable credibility for having sounded the alarm about reckless subprime mortgage lending. Their research on foreclosures is widely cited, even by political opponents. (I should note that I recently joined their Research Advisory Council). While the new CRL might be legitimate, one is inclined to suspect astroturfing.

Full post as published by CL&P Blog on February 23, 2008 (boomark / email).