“There’s an internal adage, at least among the bankers that I used to hang out with: if you don’t want to answer the direction directly, just drown them in bullshit,” says Horacio Mendez...
There is a history in the U.S. of having to legislate human decency. We keep the Golden Rule (do unto others as you would have them do unto you) confined to church, with rare applicability to how we do...
A court decision after passage of the Predatory Loan Prevention Act allowed pawn brokers to continue charging high APRs on loans. Now legislators hope to close the loophole.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Jazmine was laid off during the pandemic and needed money to pay her rent. So she got a loan from a pawn shop using her cameras and Macbook Air as collateral. “Not only did they give...
Reprinted from Nov. 16 Chicago Sun-Times letters to the Editor Friday was Veterans Day, when we honor and recognize veterans for their sacrifice of blood sweat and tears in service to our country. In Illinois, though, one way veterans...
Horacio Mendez’s opinion piece highlights an opportunity for federal bank regulators to raise the bar in grading banks reinvestment performance. I’m the first leader of the nearly 50-year-old economic equity and anti-redlining advocacy organization Woodstock Institute to come to...
WTTW roundtable on Monday, Oct. 31 framed the student loan debate as part of the racial wealth gap in a conversation that included CEO Horacio Mendez. About 48 million Americans have student loan debt — totaling more than $1.75...
(The Center Square) – As lenders highlight the negative effects of the Predatory Loan Prevention Act, a new poll shows Illinoisans are in favor of the law.
“According to a Chicago Sun-Times news report, the Woodstock Institute analyzed 2019 borrower loan data and found that the top Zip codes for payday loans, excluding the Loop, were majority Black. The Woodstock Institute is a nonprofit research and policy organization that examines...
WBEZ spoke with Woodstock CEO & President Horacio Mendez about his unique background going from banker to the head of a non-profit organization fighting for social justice policies.