David Ibsen

"Sometimes, good intentions lead to bad policy. Lawmakers see a problem, momentum builds and the solution overshoots the mark. Oklahoma’s House Bill 3172, the so-called “Fair Banking Act” is a prime example..." @mattiasgugel

👇👇@EconWithNick "It is against the law for a bank to tell you if a suspicious activity report was filed...When you’re left in the dark, it’s natural to assume the worst. That’s partly why so many people have accused banks of political and religious discrimination."

When regulators rely on vague or subjective standards, trust erodes. Our latest survey shows growing consensus amongst bipartisan voters that modernizing outdated banking rules can ensure fair access to banking services. Read our newest survey results: forfreemarkets.org/affm-survey-re…

Pleasure to join @SuperTalkNews and @MidDaysGerard to discuss fair access and debanking in MS!

"It is against the law for a bank to tell you if a suspicious activity report was filed against you. When you’re left in the dark, it’s natural to assume the worst. That’s partly why so many people have accused banks of political and religious discrimination."

Mississippi values free markets and limited government — which is why adding another layer of state banking regulation is misguided. AFFM Executive Director @dlibsen writes in @magnoliatribune how HB 1597 would complicate federal efforts already in motion:

Mississippi has long prided itself on supporting free market values that benefit local business, encourage, job creation, and reject unnecessary red tape. HB 1597, despite its good intentions, risks undermining those values while duplicating efforts already underway at the federal level. Protecting Americans from unfair debanking is an important goal, but the answer is not a nation full of overlapping and contradicting fair access laws...

Thanks to @magnoliatribune for publishing my latest on fair access to banking in Mississippi: magnoliatribune.com/2026/02/26/mis…

@SenToomey and @KevinBradytexas make the case against CC rate caps: "When governments mandate an artificially low price for a product or service in a competitive market, the result is always the same: reduced supply...Price controls on credit cards would have a similar effect." foxnews.com/opinion/why-ca…

David Ibsen (@dlibsen, @ForFreeMarkets): Price controls don’t work. Including credit cards. #FlaPol floridapolitics.com/archives/78194…

Jimmy Carter announced credit card controls in March 1980, leading to the fastest two month rise in unemployment ever. Credit cards are a much, much bigger part of the economy today. My @CityJournal on why the proposed Trump, Sanders, Hawley cap is bad. city-journal.org/article/trump-…

"Experience is life’s great teacher. And experience shows that the good intentions of price controls do not match the intended real-world results." My latest for @forfreemarkets on the forseeable consequences of a proposed credit card rate cap: forfreemarkets.org/the-not-so-hid…

Pleasure to join @FLVoiceNews to discuss negative impacts of credit card rate caps (aka price controls) on the very consumers they are meant to help

As @forfreemarkets has said: "The single most effective step policymakers could take today to address the unintended debanking of lawful citizens is to modernize the anti-money laundering framework." Must read by @EconWithNick on BSA, 'suspicious activity', and debanking 👇

It's true @johntamny! And no complaints from me! "As David Ibsen, executive director of @forfreemarkets explains it, family members regularly visit him without entering Manhattan...family and friends prefer the bars, restaurants and skyline views that Brooklyn provides."

Everybody is saying it! It's time to stand up to the Bank Secrecy Act.

👇👇 "If the government forces the price of credit below its market-clearing rate, the result will not be the same amount of credit at a lower price. It will be less credit for the least creditworthy." Good piece from @SantiVidalC

Capping credit card interest rates sounds appealing, but history warns us otherwise. 🚫 Price controls don't actually lower costs—they block access to credit for the families who need it most. We need more market competition, not more government mandates. Read why here: pelicanpolicy.org/pricecontrols