Factsheet: Michigan Voters Overwhelmingly Support 36% Rate Cap

For most of Michigan’s history, state laws prevented payday lenders from operating, most recently by limiting interest on consumer loans at 25%. However, in 2005, Michigan became the last state to authorize payday lending when payday lenders pushed for a carve out allowing them to charge rates of 340% APR or higher. Payday lenders drain over $103 million in fees...

High-Cost Lenders Scheme with Banks to Evade Consumer Protections

A few high-cost lenders are evading state consumer protections through rent-a-bank schemes. Through these sham arrangements, these companies are exploding right through the interest rate limits that most states have put in place for good reason, to protect people from high-cost debt traps that drain them of their hard-earned income. In the following states, payday lenders are using banks, which...

2020 presidential election may help you shake off student loan debt

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Susan Tompor | Detroit Free Press
Student loan debt is no doubt a drag on the U.S. economy, holding back how much money young consumers can spend on cars, homes and even invest in 401(k) plans or new businesses. But the debt crisis is giving an early kick start to the 2020 Democratic presidential race. One candidate after another has generated some buzz by offering up...

Payday blues: Rural Michigan and the quick-cash debt hole

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Ted Roelofs | Bridge MI
LUDINGTON—Four years ago, Merenda Vincent was desperate for cash. She had an overdue car payment, along with a medical bill she couldn’t pay. Living on a monthly Social Security check of less than $1,000, she had no money in the bank. Vincent recalled that she walked into a payday lending store called Check ‘n Go outside Ludington, a small Lake...

Elizabeth Warren's plan for student loan forgiveness: Don't bank on it

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Susan Tompor | Detroit Free Press
Caution: If you're someone who grabs money management tips after a quick read of a headline or two on Twitter, take note. Don't bank on getting a big break yet on your college debt. "College students who are graduating this year should not count on having their student loans forgiven," said Mark Kantrowitz, publisher and vice president of research for...

Washtenaw United: VITA Program Gives Tax Assistance To Those Who Can't Afford It

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David Fair | WEMU
According to a recent report by the Center for Responsible Lending, in our County, we have 12 payday stores which annually drain over 2M in fees from consumers, the majority of whom have low incomes, are people of color, and reside in 48197/98. The maxim “it costs more to be poor” has never been more evident than in how payday...

Minorities slip behind as mortgage lending rebounds in Kent County

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Brian McVicar | MLive
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Ask Galen and Alice Henderson about their dream home, and the couple doesn't skip a beat. There would be a finished basement, they say. A two-car garage. A big backyard. And three bedrooms so their children - Zahir, 8, and Jamyah, 13 - don't have to share one. Nothing too fancy, they say, just a place...

How a Subprime Auto Lender Consumed Detroit With Debt and Turned Its Courthouse Into a Collections Agency

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Ryan Felton and Ishaan Jhaveri | Jalopnik
It’s unclear exactly what led to the situation in Detroit, although the tough economic situation for the city and its residents in recent years has certainly contributed. The company has been investigated by regulators for potential wrongdoing, and it has faced accusations in cases across the U.S. of duping car buyers into taking on untenable loans, however no current probes...

Power Steering: Payday Lenders Targeting Vulnerable Michigan Communities

In recent years, payday lenders have drained over half a billion dollars in fees from Michigan consumers to out-of-state companies. By charging APRs over 340%, payday lenders cost Michigan consumers over $94 million in 2016 and over $513 million over the past five years. Over two-thirds of Michigan payday stores have headquarters out of state. Michigan payday lenders disproportionately locate...