For the life of me I thought I had posted concerning payday loans before (at least on one of my blogs), guess I haven't. But anywhoo, they are bad news, and I'm speaking from experience. It is a dangerous and vicious cycle to get sucked into, why Issa would even consider siding with these leeches is beyond me. And why it has taken the DOJ this long to investigate?
Each year, millions incur long-term debt by taking out a short-term loan that’s intended to cover borrowers’ expenses until they receive their next paychecks. Most take out nine repeat loans per year with an interest rate as high as 400 percent. Forty-four percent of borrowers ultimately default, even after paying back their loans several times over, and thus are pushed ever closer to poverty. Critics have called the practice “legalized loan sharking” and describe the industry as “bottom feeders.” In recent years, major banks have also joined in the practice.
In recent weeks, the U.S. Department of Justice began to take aim at the big banks that illegally help payday lenders rip off consumers. “Operation Choke Point” is a massive investigation into whether banks help payday lenders illegally siphon billions of dollars from consumers’ checking accounts in exchange for a fee. Some banks, which offered loans of their own, recently announced they would get out of the payday lending business entirely to avoid a separate regulatory crackdown.
But rather than cheer this consumer-friendly move, two powerful Congressmen are moving to stop it. House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Job Creation and Regulatory Affairs Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder on January 8, accusing the Justice Department of “using its civil investigative power” to “inappropriately target two lawful financial services: third-party payment processing and online lending.”
Congressmen Go To Bat For Abusive Payday Lending Industry, Attack Justice Department Investigation | ThinkProgress
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