(CNN) - A woman dressed up like the Monopoly man character made an appearance Wednesday at the Senate Banking Committee's hearing on Equifax behind former CEO Richard Smith, who is testifying about the company's massive security breach.
The nonprofit group Public Citizen and Americans for Financial Reform said they organized the Monopoly man's appearance to highlight some abuses from financial companies.
Amanda Werner, arbitration campaign manager for Public Citizen, dressed up as the Monopoly man and helped deliver of “Get Out of Jail Free” cards to the Wells Fargo hearing and to all 100 Senate offices.
Werner said Equifax and Wells Fargo use a forced arbitration clause as a "Get Out of Jail Free" card to ensure consumers can't hold them accountable in court.
"Forced arbitration clauses buried in the fine print of take-it-or-leave-it contracts may be the single most important tool that predatory banks, payday lenders, credit card companies and other financial institutions have used to escape accountability for cheating and defrauding consumers," the group said. "These clauses push disputes into secretive arbitration proceedings rigged to favor financial companies and conceal wrongdoing from regulatory authorities."
Though a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule allows consumers to take companies to court via class-action lawsuits, the Senate is trying to dismantle that rule.
Smith also testified later at a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on privacy. On Thursday he will appear before the House Financial Services Committee.
Hello to my new followers!
Please call the Senate & tell them to vote NO on SJ Res 47 - Equifax & Wells Fargo's get-out-of-jail-free card! pic.twitter.com/uRIE3gzHoy
— The Monopoly Man (@wamandajd) October 4, 2017
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