Upsold and Weighed Down: An Analysis of a Subset of Supervised Installment Lending in Colorado

Previous research by the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) has revealed the harms associated with high-cost installment loans, which are often marketed to subprime borrowers and have annual percentage rates of interest (APRs) in excess of 36%. This paper explores a different segment of the installment loan market: loans made by consumer finance companies with rates at or below 36% APR that have larger, longer terms and are often packed with fees for low-value, high-cost add-on products. The costs of these products are not included in the loans’ APRs. Using a sample of 67 collections cases...

Amicus Brief: Fulford v. Avant

From the introduction of the brief: Since the founding of our nation, states have limited interest rates as the primary protection against predatory lending. Evasions of usury laws are as old as the laws, but courts consistently look beyond form to the substance of the transaction to prevent subterfuge. Ever since banks were provided with legislative exemptions from state usury laws, nonbank lenders have tried to use “rent-a-bank” arrangements to avoid state interest rate laws. But courts look beyond the nominal bank that funded and put its name on a loan, holding that state usury laws apply...

Amicus Brief: Martha Fulford v. Marlette Funding

From the introduction of the brief: Since the founding of our nation, states have limited interest rates as the primary protection against predatory lending. Evasions of usury laws are as old as the laws, but courts consistently look beyond form to the substance of the transaction to prevent subterfuge. Ever since banks were provided with legislative exemptions from state usury laws, nonbank lenders have tried to use “rent-a-bank” arrangements to avoid state interest rate laws. But courts look beyond the nominal bank that funded and put its name on a loan, holding that state usury laws apply...

Testimony in Support of SB19-002: Protecting Coloradans from Abusive Practices by Student Education Loan Servicers

This written testimony focuses on three key areas of concern: 1) abuses by student loan servicers prolong and deepen the problem of student loan debt; 2) For-profit schools disproportionately drive student loan debt nationally and in Colorado; and 3) the federal rollback of existing protections bolsters the need for state action. Download the full testimony. (PDF)

While Feds Loosen Payday Loan Regulations, Colorado Voters Clamp Down

Source
Liz Farmer | Governing
Colorado voters have overwhelmingly opted for tighter regulations on payday lending, easily approving a proposal to cap interest rates on the short-term loans. Colorado is now the 16th state, plus the District of Columbia, to limit loan rates. “APRs of 200% are gone. Huge win for Colorado consumers!” tweeted Danny Katz, the director of the Colorado Public Interest Research Group on Tuesday night.

Coloradans Soundly Vote in 36% Cap on Payday Loans, Ending 200% Rates

Campaign led by representatives of highly impacted communities garnered support from over 50 veterans’ groups, faith groups, lawmakers of both political parties, and both urban and rural communities OAKLAND, C.A.– Coloradans have come together to stop predatory payday lending by passing a 36% cap on annual interest rates for payday loans. Today’s results make Colorado the fifth state to affirm an interest rate cap by ballot and the sixteenth state (plus the District of Columbia) to protect against predatory payday lending through reasonable usury limits. In a campaign led by representatives of

New Report from the Center for Responsible Lending Examines the Repayment Experiences of Payday Loan Borrowers in Colorado

Source
Mike Landis | Public Citizen
Today, the Center for Responsible Lending released a new report examining the repayment experiences of borrowers of longer-term payday loans in Colorado. The report is based on focus groups that were conducted in four Colorado cities in September 2017. The full report is worth the read, but here are the key takeaways...

New Report: Colorado Focus Groups Reveal Financial Hardship Faced by Customers of Longer-Term Payday Loans

DURHAM, N.C. – A new Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) report reveals financial distress among participants of Colorado focus groups who have taken out longer-term payday loans that are touted by payday lenders as a better, more affordable option than traditional short-term (often two-week) payday loans. Colorado banned short-term payday loans in 2010. Participants stuck in long-term payday loans described difficulty paying bills and faced aggressive debt collection. The hardest hit were those experiencing delinquency or default, which currently happens with one in four Colorado payday

Sinking Feeling: Colorado Borrowers Describe their Experiences with Payday Loans

Lump sum single balloon payment payday loans with a two-week term have historically dominated the payday loan market. A shift in recent years, due to regulatory or industry changes, has been for payday lenders to make payday loans with longer terms due in multiple installment payments, each due on or around the borrower’s payday. Payday lenders often market these products as a better, more affordable option, even though longer-term payday loans carry triple-digit interest rates, require access to a borrower's bank account to extract payments, and are made with little to no assessment of the...