From Deseret News archives:

Trapped for cash: Deeper in debt

Payday lenders put many borrowers in a vicious cycle

Published: Monday, Nov. 14, 2005 10:34 a.m. MST
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Car title loans. If someone has a clear title on a car, lenders offer loans using that title as security. Most charge around 300 percent annual interest for 30-day loans. Rates tend to be lower for newer cars and higher for older cars.

Borrowers keep their car — unless they default on the loan. Lenders are allowed by law to seize and sell the car to cover amounts owed in default and return the rest to the owner.

State records show 204 locations statewide are now licensed as title loan lenders. Most are also payday lenders.

Check cashing. Many payday loan stores will cash checks for fees ranging from 2 percent to 12 percent of their face value, plus other flat processing fees of $1 to $6. For borrowers desperate to roll over a payday loan who cannot wait for their paycheck to clear in a few days, some will pay the fees to obtain the money instantly.

Also, an estimated 12 million poor Americans nationally do not have checking or other bank accounts. The only way for them to exchange a check for money is to pay fees to cash it. To seek their business, not only payday lenders but also businesses such as Wal-Mart and Harmons stores are licensed by Utah to cash checks for fees. Also, 7-Elevens nationally have launched ATM-like kiosks to cash such checks.

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Payday loans by ATM. Some lenders advertise cards that work in Automatic Teller Machines to allow borrowers who have filled out the proper paperwork to use them to create new payday loans whenever they like. The rules are the same, and the ATM provides their cash. But borrowers are also subject to extra ATM fees.

Special debit cards. Some offer debit cards whose main advertised attraction is their overdraft privileges. An ad for the Axcess Debit MasterCard that several Utah payday lenders offer says it allows a $50 overdraft that would cost users about $20 for a week.

Pawn loans/furniture rental. Some payday lenders are also pawn shops, offering the traditional loans for musical instruments, tools and about anything imaginable. Some also are in rent-to-own furniture stores where customers obtain furniture but pay much more for it over time than they would if they paid cash up front.

Monday: Exponential growth of payday lenders.


E-mail: lee@desnews.com

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Patty Bailey holds dozens of bounced-check notices from her bank. She could not afford to pay off the loans she obtained from payday loan centers.

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