CRL in the News

Consumer groups like the National Consumer Law Center and the Center for Responsible Lending have long argued that overdraft fees disproportionately impact low-income households. These reforms are intended to protect vulnerable consumers and reduce the risk of debt spirals caused by repeated fees.

Data from the Center for Responsible Lending paints a troubling picture. Over 25% of Marylanders using these apps take out 25 or more advances per year. Nearly half use two or more apps simultaneously. These are the same debt-trap patterns we saw with storefront payday lending.

Consumer advocacy groups, including the NCLC and the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), argue that the 36% rate cap should be rolled out to all consumers, which would essentially eradicate payday and other high-cost lending nationwide.

"You reach out in a moment of desperation and then they lock you in," said Ellen Harnick, the executive vice president of the Center for Responsible Lending. "Plain Green Loans is one of the notorious companies. They flout state interest rate limits. And tout themselves as providing 'access to credit.' But this isn't credit. This is real harm."

The chaos and confusion resulting from systemic changes and closures at multiple federal agencies have now reached the $242 billion budget of the Department of Education. With the agency’s workforce cut in half, and plans announced to shut it down, millions of students and families who rely on federal financial aid for higher education are facing a front-line assault.

“People with low incomes really bear the brunt of this,” said Nadine Chabrier, senior policy and litigation counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending. Consumers also won’t see lower fees when they pay their credit card bills late.

The rally attracted particular interest in Durham, which is home to the national nonprofit Center for Responsible Lending and what Rust calls “a huge concentration of people who work in consumer protection.”

The Center for Responsible Lending’s (CRL) research report entitled, “A Loan Shark in Your Pocket: The Perils of Earned Wage Advance,” is another resource showing the dangers of predatory lending. “By offering predatory credit with just a few taps on your cell phone, cash advance apps are a loan shark in your pocket. This report shows many cash advance app...

There’s additional risk because unlike getting approved for a credit card,” there’s no requirement for a buy now, pay later to assess whether you have an ability to repay the loan,” said Nadine Chabrier at the Center for Responsible Lending. “That may lead to consumers taking out unaffordable amounts of debt.”

“Today’s decision does not serve the interests of students or families,” said Mitria Spotser, vice president and federal policy director at the Center for Responsible Lending, in a statement. “It weakens public education, abandons civil rights enforcement and prioritizes corporate interests over the fundamental right to a quality education,” Spotser said.