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The document details the acquisition of Curo Financial Technologies by FFL Partners and highlights the predatory lending practices of its brands, Speedy Cash and Rapid Cash. It cites high annual percentage rates of up to 729%, regulatory sanctions in California for excess fee collection, and a high volume of lawsuits filed against customers in Missouri.

The Private Equity Stakeholder Project and associated community organizations are requesting a meeting with TPG Capital to address the aggressive foreclosure activities of Rushmore Loan Management Services. The letter highlights Rushmore's role as a major owner of repossessed residential properties in Puerto Rico and its high foreclosure rates on mortgages acquired from Freddie Mac and HUD in Florida and Texas. In response to the impacts of Hurricanes Irma, Maria, and Harvey, the authors demand an immediate halt to all foreclosure proceedings in these affected zones.

The General J Gavin Coal Plant in Ohio, owned by Blackstone, is identified as the nation's deadliest coal plant, causing an estimated 244 premature deaths annually. Despite a 62 percent drop in US coal usage between 2008 and 2023 and the availability of Inflation Reduction Act funding for just transitions, Blackstone has not announced a closure plan for the 50-year-old facility. The document warns that unplanned closures, as seen at the Homer City Power Plant in Pennsylvania, devastate local economies and workers.

The document describes the process for identifying private equity-owned hospitals in the US using CMS data, Pitchbook, and news searches. It defines the criteria for private equity ownership, the metrics used to determine rurality, and the method for identifying sale-leaseback transactions involving REITs. Additionally, it provides a data dictionary detailing the specific fields captured in the Hospital Tracker, including facility IDs, ownership types, and bed counts.

The Private Equity Stakeholder Project, alongside other advocacy groups, demands that Platinum Equity exit its investment in Securus Technologies by the end of 2020 and implement comprehensive operational reforms. These demands include capping costs for telephone and video calls, reducing fees for money transfers and electronic monitoring, and restricting the use and sale of voice biometrics data.

The report argues that corporate housing investment, particularly by private equity firms seeking high returns on short timelines, leads to rent increases, maintenance neglect, and instability for tenants. It proposes a toolkit of regulatory measures: landlord registries to uncover beneficial ownership behind shell LLCs, licensing systems to potentially cap the number of properties owned by a single entity, and proactive inspections to ensure habitability before occupancy. The document highlights Minneapolis's use of licensing to force corporate landlord Progress Residential to adopt strict tenant safety and maintenance conditions, and Toronto's use of a registration and grading system for rental properties.

The report examines how private equity firms profit from the U.S. education market, which was estimated at $1.1 trillion in 2020. It details the consolidation of curriculum and testing services by firms like Veritas Capital, the rise of outsourced staffing through companies like Education Solutions Services, and the risks associated with student data management by firms such as Vista Equity Partners. The document also analyzes the negative outcomes associated with private equity-owned for-profit colleges, charter schools, and early childhood education centers, arguing that a profit-driven model often conflicts with student interests and public good.

The letter criticizes Leonard Green & Partners for aggressive financial policies at Prospect Medical Holdings, including dividend recapitalizations and a controversial $10 million buyout. It highlights a dramatic decline in EBITDA, high debt levels, and poor hospital quality ratings, arguing that these actions prioritize short-term private equity gains over long-term healthcare stability and patient care.

The Private Equity Stakeholder Project calls for the private equity industry to adopt a comprehensive labor rights platform to counter a 'low road approach' that reduces wages and staffing. The platform includes demands for a $25 sustainable minimum wage, equitable scheduling, paid sick leave, and protections against discriminatory practices and harmful technology. It also urges institutional investors, particularly public pension funds, to establish enforceable mechanisms to prevent the support of unethical labor practices.

The report details how private equity firms Roark Capital and Silver Lake Management profit from projects in Atlanta that threaten the South River Forest. It highlights the role of the Atlanta Police Foundation in facilitating 'Cop City' and the use of Motorola Solutions' surveillance technology. The document also connects these local events to global trends of private equity investment in extractive industries and the subsequent suppression of environmental activists.

Public pension funds manage over $5.6 trillion in assets to provide retirement benefits for approximately 27 million public sector workers. These funds are overseen by boards that set investment policies and ensure legal compliance. A significant portion of private equity investment—one third—is provided by pension funds, which the document argues can lead to social harm in sectors like climate and healthcare, while presenting high financial risk and complex fee structures.

The report argues that the private equity (PE) industry uses aggressive financial engineering to extract short-term value from companies, a process facilitated by specific U.S. tax loopholes. Key mechanisms include the carried interest loophole, interest deductions, and fee waivers, which allow PE managers to pay significantly lower tax rates than ordinary workers. The document provides case studies in housing, healthcare, energy, and labor to illustrate the negative impacts of this model, such as increased hospital mortality rates, the proliferation of high-emission LNG terminals, and the degradation of manufactured housing parks.

The guide outlines three primary areas of inquiry for investors to evaluate private equity firms: the plan for a net-zero energy portfolio, the implementation of a just and equitable transition for workers and communities, and the alignment of political spending and lobbying with the Paris Agreement. It argues that conventional energy investments, including pipelines and coal plants, have largely underperformed over the last decade, highlighting both financial and climate risks.

The report argues that Apollo Global Management's private equity model—characterized by high leverage and cost-cutting—has harmed patients and workers across its 220 hospitals. It documents specific instances of service cuts, poor quality ratings, and regulatory failures, while questioning the anti-competitive nature of the Lifepoint-ScionHealth spinoff.

The document provides a comparative analysis of labor policies from the NY State Common Retirement Fund, CalPERS, Maryland SRPS, MassPRIM, and the Illinois State Board of Investment (ISBI). It details how these investors approach the right to organize, compulsory labor, discrimination, wages, layoffs, diversity, health and safety, and working conditions within their private equity portfolios.

Private equity firms own at least 31,000 companies employing 13 million US workers, often in low-wage sectors. The document asserts that poor workforce relations and high bankruptcy risks in private equity-backed companies can lead to material financial losses, while proactive workforce management—including better wages and health and safety practices—enhances company performance and investor returns. Several US state pension funds managing over a trillion dollars have already adopted such policies to integrate labor risk assessment into manager selection and monitoring.

The document highlights the systemic labor risks associated with private equity, noting that portfolio companies employ 13 million US workers and face higher bankruptcy risks. It advocates for the adoption of Responsible Workforce Management policies by state pension funds to improve company performance and avoid operational disruptions, citing a $3.7 trillion backlog of portfolio companies and lagging returns as reasons for increased investor-led oversight.

The fact sheet compares the climate strategies of eleven major asset owners, detailing their Net Zero targets, interim emissions reduction goals, and specific exclusions of fossil fuels. It highlights varying levels of Scope 3 reporting and tracks financial commitments to climate solutions, with some investors like CDPQ and NYC Funds reporting significant progress or exceeding their targets.

This guide outlines a comprehensive set of questions for institutional investors to use during due diligence of private equity managers. It focuses on five key areas: alignment with science-based climate targets (including phasing out fossil fuels by 2030), disclosure of fossil fuel exposure and emissions, the existence of portfolio-wide energy transition plans, the integration of climate and environmental justice, and transparency regarding political spending and climate lobbying.

The report details how private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management and real estate investment trust Medical Properties Trust (MPT) extracted significant capital from Steward Health Care through sale-leaseback transactions and dividends, contributing to a $9 billion liability and eventual Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It highlights a pattern of asset stripping, including the sale of hospital real estate to fund investor payouts, which left hospitals with unsustainable lease obligations. This financial distress manifested in severe patient care crises, including equipment repossessions, staffing shortages, and the closure of six hospitals, resulting in at least 2,650 layoffs. The document concludes with policy recommendations to increase financial transparency, limit debt-funded dividends, and regulate hospital change-of-ownership transactions.