“Not only has the legislature not done anything to reduce the harm, it has taken affirmative steps to expand the harm,” said Diane Standaert, executive vice president and director of state policy for the Raleigh, N.C.-based advocacy group Center for Responsible Lending.
Consumer advocates in Mississippi agree.
“I’ve heard it said that any business is a good business in Mississippi, even if it hurts its citizens,” said Charles Lee, consumer protection director for the Mississippi Center for Justice, adding this lending targets the “least capable of being able to defend themselves.”