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Bad Math: Oregon’s Sour Banking Deals

This is a guest post by our friends at Economic Fairness Oregon, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring a more secure economic future for all Oregonians.

While Oregon’s families are making sacrifices and elected officials across the state are struggling to balance budgets in the wake of the Wall Street meltdown, the country’s largest banks are costing Oregon millions each year. 

Economic Fairness Oregon, along with SEIU, have compiled the disastrous results of letting Wall Street run rampant in a new report, “Bad Math: Oregon’s Sour Banking Deals.” The report will be released in three parts, the first of which is available now at http://www.faireconomyoregon.org.  A different segment of the report will be highlighted each week for the next three weeks.

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Oregon homeowner voices support for critical mortgage reform

Tim Collette speaks out in support of SB 826 & 827, two bills that would reform mortgage service to establish fair rules and accountability and give homeowners a fighting chance to stop preventable foreclosures. To support SB826 & 827, visit Economic Fairness Oregon's petition.

For at least the next few weeks, I am a homeowner in Bend. My home, which I purchased nearly five years ago, is in foreclosure with a sale date of April 11th – five days after my 59th birthday. Just like so many other Oregonians, I was also able to easily make my mortgage payments when I bought my home. I moved to Bend because I was in the construction business, and for many years, it was the epicenter of that industry in the Northwest. In every respect, I was in a good place. I had plenty in retirement and savings and a mortgage payment that was perfectly reasonable given my income.

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Local business owner shares pain of credit card fees

 What's the most harmful thing at this NE Portland dry-cleaner's business? Spoiler Alert: It's not dry cleaning chemicals.

BY MICKIE McCLURE, Owner of Tip Top Cleaners in Portland

I own a dry-cleaning shop in Northeast Portland. It’s a family run business, where I work alongside my husband and daughter. When we bought the place nearly a decade ago, it still used traditional dry cleaning methods that are harmful to our health and the environment. We knew that wasn’t how we wanted to make a living, so we replaced all of the old cleaning components and completely transitioned to a Green Earth system.


Just as the cleaning business has evolved, so has the way people pay for our services. Nearly all of my customers pay with a debit or credit card. Due to the excessive burden imposed by card processing fees, what my customers view as an everyday convenience is actually a major hit to our family’s business.

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Marriage Equality – A Matter of the Heart

By JEANA FRAZZINI, Executive Director of Basic Rights Oregon

Valentine’s Day is a time to reveal what’s in our hearts, to express our love for family, friends and that special someone. What better time to speak up for the Freedom to Marry?

Here in Oregon, loving and committed gay and lesbian couples are excluded from marriage. That has real consequences for families who, like so many of us, weather the ups and downs of building a life together. These are families  who share Oregon values, like the importance of caring and protecting those we love, helping out our neighbors, sticking it out when times get tough.

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