CFPB Aims to Eliminate the So-Called Payday Loan Debt Trap
CFPB Aims to Eliminate the So-Called Payday Loan Debt Trap
The payday loan industry actively tries to trap people in cycles of debt that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is attempting to eliminate according to a recent article posted at Consumerfinance.gov. A payday loan is typically a short-term loan of between $100 and $500 that consumers can easily obtain when they need small amounts of cash until they receive their next paychecks. The costs of these loans usually run from $10 to $30 for each $100 according to the report.
The payday loan financing period only lasts about two weeks, so the annual percentage rate, or APR, translates into about 400 percent of annual interest. Critics of the industry and the CFPB charge that these high interest rates can trap people who have to borrow again to cover their living expenses. The industry counters that most borrowers repay their loans as promised, and that those who don’t are no more common than the number of people who default on other financial obligations.
The CFPB points out that the industry often targets low-income families with bad credit and ignorance of how to manage their finances responsibly. CFPB director Richard Cordray stated that the bureau was proposing a solution to end debt traps “by requiring lenders to take steps to make sure consumers have the ability to repay their loans...to end payday debt traps.” Details of the CFPB proposal include:
The fees seem high percentagewise, but many experts admit that the rates are reasonable under the circumstances under which the loans are offered. Forbes.com reports that 300- and 400-percent interest rates are misleading because the average length of these loans are usually about two weeks. However, it still takes almost as much work to process these small loans as it does to finance larger amounts over longer repayment periods. About 6 percent of short-term loans default, so payday lenders need to cover this cost as well. The flat fees for the loan are also added into the interest rate, and since the repayment period is very short, the interest rate becomes corrspondingly high.
Because of this nasty lending cycle, payday lending is illegal in 15 states, and is regulated elsewhere. In some states, borrowers are only allowed to take out a specific number of loans per year. In other states borrowers can only take out a specified number of loans at a time, and after a certain length of time the lender must lower the interest and extend the term so the borrower can get out of debt.
Description: Payday loan is the type of loan which is generally taken by the borrower at the time of emergency.
In the article “Me, The Other Scott, And Payday Loans” by Scott Gilmore, the author is furious to find that most people are being drained out of money they don’t have. In my opinion, I agree with the author. I do not think it is right for Payday loans to be tricking people with little to no assets to pay for an amount they cannot pay back. According to the article, annual percentage rate is more than 540, while loan sharks charge double that. Loan sharks will gladly extend the loan for two more weeks, that way they can charge more interest rate. Stan Keyes, the president of the Canadian Payday association argues that “It is unfair to calculate the interest rate this way, since the loans are typically for two weeks. However he concedes that
Americans who need a short term loan to repair a car, fly quickly to a stick relative beside or catch up on child care payments even find themselves going to payday lenders ether online or trough one of the thousands of payday lending store fronts. (Wherry) using online is a way to pay or catch up with your due date of the payment that you owe. Having someone that can help you with a payment is a payday lender that can help you with a car payment also paying your rent or buying food or also buying a new sofa. Nationally borrowers spend roughly 8.7 billion per year on payday loans fees and what might start as a 500 lifetime can become a heavily burden. (Wherry) having a borrower that lend you a loan can be easy but it’s time to payback that is when it became complicated. Also having a fee is very complicated because they pressure you to pay back when you miss your due date. Annual interest rates for payday loans typically run between 391 and 351 percent a cording to the center for responsible lending and most people who use them end up paying more in fees over the course of the year than they originally received credit. (Wherry) annual rates are very high in percentage because of lending tem money and not paying back on the due date. Having these huge percentages are too much but when you borrow more than you need the more you ending up paying than the last
Debt is among the greatest challenges we face today, personally and as a country. More and more people are falling into this growing problem. Payday loan companies exploit this problem. Even though the loan amounts are relatively low, the
In my opinion, I believe that loans are good for people who can borrow money and pay the company back as soon as possible. Those who do not pay them back receive an increase in interest every time they miss a payment. Targeting people who have a low to moderate income, payday loan companies are in the areas that these individuals live in. As Gilmore says, “A recent study by St.Michael’s Hospital in Toronto found a correlation between the number of payday lenders in a neighbourhood and premature mortality”. To avoid falling behind on payments, young people can seek for help to reduce stress. In conclusion, I think that
Payday loans generate lots of controversy because they 're offered to people who have bad credit or limited credit histories, which makes them high-risk borrowers. Traditional lenders seldom approve loans for these types of borrowers and never quickly enough when a cash emergency occurs. Unfortunately, many of these same people don 't use payday loans as intended -- as short-term emergency loans just until their next paydays -- so they become trapped in a cycle of debt. Well-meaning consumer activists, politically motivated legislators and establishment figures from the traditional banking industry band together to push for reforms to regulate payday and other short-term loans more closely.
Guo does a good job at getting the audience to quickly take his side against payday lending by calling payday lenders “slippery” (Guo) and by stating that borrowers of payday loans typically use the loans as a “last resort” (Guo). Guo strengthens the audiences mistrust of payday lenders in the third paragraph giving brief details of a New York Times article in which the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau states that they will be proposing a “national set of rules to better regulate the industry” (Guo). specifically tightening the standards as well as restrictions on the number of times a loan can be rolled over. Guo’s evidence is from a credible source, The New York Times, however the credibility of Guo’s article comes into question when he could have googled the proposal and found it on the CFPB, or Consumer Finance Protection Bureau website, as it is the second link that pops up when searched. The proposal details as listed on the CFPB website goes into far more detail as to what is actually happening to borrowers and the actual regulations being considered than the Times article.
In the article “Me, The Other Scott, and Payday Loans” by Scott Gilmore describes the negative impacts payday loan companies can have on people who are not fortunate financially. Payday loan companies loan money to people with low income who are need of money, but the interest is 10 times more than it would be at a bank. I think this type of method of loaning money is not helpful because in return they ask for more. It is interesting to know that many are still following and using this type of banking when they are aware of the circumstances it has. It is however true that when people are need of money, they will use any way to solve their problems, as it is also stated in the article “These are respectable people with jobs facing an unexpected
Payday loans fulfill real-world needs for families that can 't cover emergency expenses from their savings. Even people with stellar credit can 't always negotiate loans quickly enough when a financial emergency arises. The premise is simple: Short-term loans are available, even for people with low credit scores, and people can get money into their accounts faster than trying to get approved for a traditional loan. Payday loans are strictly for short-term purposes when the borrowers can afford to repay the amount, interest and fees from their next pay period. Credit.com reports that these loans are justifiable when used as intended. Unfortunately, people don 't always do what 's best, and some borrowers recycle their debts by renewing their short-term loans or borrowing from multiple lenders. Competitive lenders cite these debt traps as evidence that payday loans are bad choices, but any kind of credit can lead to abuses that trap people in cycles of debt.
Payday loans can be addictive because they 're readily available and easy to get, so people turn to them often when they need cash to tide them over during financial emergencies. Unfortunately, these loans were meant only for short-term, emergency cash needs and carry high interest rates to keep them available to everyone--even people with bad credit. These loans, which are meant to be repaid from the next paycheck, can trap people in cycles of debt and become addictive. When financial needs arise, people can just apply for a payday loan and get money within a short period. The simplicity of the process can result in people ignoring their own best interests and applying for short-terms loans every time they come up a little short or want something that they can 't afford and shouldn 't buy. Payday loans--like credit cards, gambling and shopping--can certainly be addictive if borrowers aren 't careful to use the loans as intended.
Although, payday loans are intended to temporarily provide financial relief until your next paycheck; it appears to cause greater financial strain than what the borrower initially possess before securing a payday loan from a lender. The median income of a payday borrower is less than $23,000 ("Do Payday Loans Ever Make Financial Sense?"). In order to help you to process the hardship a payday causes in reality I will use my friend of mine who recently took out a payday loan.
While reading “Me, The Other Scott, And Payday Loans” from MacLean’s magazine, I had mixed feelings towards the article. Prior to reading, I was initially unaware of what exactly payday loans were and subsequently did my own research to follow up. After reading the article, I began to question the integrity of payday loans, skeptical of the idea of taking a loan out with 400% - 500% interest. On one hand, I believe it’s entirely on the consumer to make educated decisions regarding financial terms; however, it’s also understandable why someone would feel inclined towards taking out these loans when they’re in desperate needs of funds. Furthermore, payday loan companies know exactly who their target customer is, as it is blatantly obvious through
It seems to me that payday loan bids are all over these days. Across the Unites States, there are enormous numbers of people plainly living payroll to payroll. From stores nearby to the Internet, the payday lending business is thriving. But what are payday loans? Are they as atrocious as some people convey? Payday loans can be very costly. They are a relatively small amount of money given at an immense percentage of interest on the arrangement that it will be repaid when the borrower receives their next paycheck. According to Greg McBride, a chief financial analyst at Bankrate.com, he claims in the CNBC news article “More payday lenders than McDonald’s? Some Recovery”, that payday loans are one unplanned expense away from being in