Nor a lender be

Congress is trying to strip away Americans’ protections from predatory lending

Last month, Governor Fallin made the right choice when she vetoed HB 1913—a bill that would have expanded predatory lending in Oklahoma. In her veto message, Fallin pointed out that Oklahomans frequently take out high-interest loans at a high cost to them and their families. Governor Fallin wisely chose not to add another predatory product to the market that could trap Oklahoma families in even more debt.

Predatory lending is not just an Oklahoma problem. Only 15 states and the District of Columbia prohibit payday lending with interest rate caps. Interest rates in the remaining states range from an average of 154 percent in Oregon to an astronomical 677 percent in Ohio. The average rate in Oklahoma on a payday loan is nearly 400 percent. Payday borrowers often end up paying more in interest than what they get through the loan, and repeat borrowing is common. Payday loans, auto title loans, and small installment loans are a debt trap for working families in America, and most states have not taken action to protect them.

Courtney Cullison is a policy analyst with Oklahoma Policy Institute. For the rest of this article and more, visit okpolicy.org.