Research

PAYDAY LENDERS OFFER DEFECTIVE PRODUCT, CLAIMING IT FILLS NEED FOR ACCESS TO CREDIT Predatory payday loans: trap borrowers in high-cost debt drain income and damage credit could be offered on HBCU campuses under new agreements Defenders of the payday lending industry use the term "access to credit" to make the argument that payday loans provide communities of color with financial...

OVERDRAFT LOAN = HIGH-COST NO-CHOICE CREDIT Protection? More like small loans with abusive terms. Banks and credit unions now enroll many of their account holders into the most expensive option for covering overdrafts—an option customers generally don't want and didn't ask for—and leave them without the information they need to protect their funds. Under these systems, financial institutions routinely approve...

This brochure was developed and published by the South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center. What is an Auto Title Loan? An Auto Title Loan is a short-term loan, usually no longer than 30 days. Your car title is used to secure the loan. This means if the loan is not repaid, the lender may take the car and sell it...

EACH YEAR, PREPAYMENT PENALTIES IN SUBPRIME LOANS CAUSE 850,000 FAMILIES TO LOSE $2.3 BILLION IN HOME EQUITY WEALTH. The Penalty for Improved Credit Consider this typical scenario: An African-American family gets a subprime mortgage loan for $150,000 with a 12% interest rate. After making timely payments for three years, they realize they can qualify for a better loan. However, when...

Overdraft loan programs (also called "bounced-check protection" or "courtesy overdraft protection") allow customers to incur debt when their checking account goes into a negative balance. Borrowers are charged a flat-fee per check or non-check overdraft and must bring their account to a positive balance within a short time period. The institutions that operate the programs do not disclose an annual...

Wall Street analysts praise Wells Fargo's revenue and sales growth, diversification, distribution/marketing prowess, and standout risk management. Despite Wells Fargo's success, there appear to be serious trouble spots in its subprime mortgage lending, particularly the predatory practices of Wells Fargo Financial (WFF) that victimize low-wealth consumers. While these practices have been criticized by community groups since the mid-1990s, they apparently...

This report argues that North Carolina payday lenders make their profit on two key principles: 1) circumvent the North Carolina law by using federal law, and 2) utilize a business model that depends on borrowers paying more in fees than borrowing in principal.