The Consumer Federation of America held an annual conference on financial services to keep consumer advocates and educators informed about banking, insurance, investment, and real estate issues affecting consumers. After welcoming remarks by Stephen Brobeck, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Chair Sheila Bair delivered the opening keynote address. She spoke about the Community Reinvestment Act and improving consumer protection for financial services, and then she responded to questions from the audience. The first panel "The Financial Services Meltdown: Consumer Impacts and Structural Solutions" was moderated by Stephen Kroll. Bill Longbrake and Lynn Turner talked about the causes of the meltdown, which included rising consumer debt in the past 30 years, unsound business policies, speculation, lax regulation standards, and interest rates that were too low. Stephen Kroll then led a discussion, followed by questions from audience members.