There’s a current federal bill that could eliminate two-thirds of the payday industry loans. However, critics have reason to fear that this rule may lead borrowers into serious debt traps. Reviewers have sited that this bill will result in larger loans with higher rates— which is a fortune for the predatory payday lenders.
And yes, these claims may be true. It’s in record that in only 12 months (2016-2017), Floridians took out loans to the tune of 7.7 million. And almost 1/3 of all borrowers took out not less than at 12 loans within the 12 months, which is an obvious warning of the “debt traps” lenders love to make the most out of, critics allege.
But this bill seems to be surviving against all odds and with bipartisan support it may soon pass. Some view the rule as a plan major investors are using to boost up the already powerful industry. So maybe it’s the right time for the entrepreneur looking to open a payday loan merchant account to make a move and profit from the lending business.
On the other hand, payday lenders feel that this new rule will pretty much eliminate their straightforward “single-payment loans” which is their primary product. For instance In Florida, you pay your lender $50 to get a $500 loan. The lender then deducts $550 from your bank account within 30 days. Anyone can access this funding as long as they have a pay slip to prove they have a steady job.
But it should be recalled that last year the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) proposed a law that could limit the number of loans per person to not exceeding six a year. Taking into consideration the large number of repeat borrowers, CFPB estimated the law could eliminate a whopping 62 of existing payday loans. And some industry bigwigs feel it could get worse.
To counter this blow, lenders are planning to offer, on top of payday loans, a second product: Loans up to $1,000, to be paid in installments in 60 to 90 days. However this cap should be adjusted to meet the criteria of different states. E.g. for Florida the max should be $500.
Again, this new ruling would mean higher fees for borrowers. So instead of repaying $50 two times for a loan worth $500, one would pay $216 for a loan worth $1000.
However, these new propositions may reach implementation. CFPB’s new head said that the Bureau is currently re-evaluating the rule which is to be effective as from August 2019.
But the industry still can’t count on that. As a matter of fact, payday industry merchants still need to talk the legislature into amending the rules so they are allowed to continue offering credit in a manner that will favor them.
Conclusion
Whether Payday loans are good or bad remains a hot topic among economists. Poor communities depend largely on them. Therefore any rule that compromises their well-being affects a majority of citizens.
Author Bio: Electronic payments expert, Blair Thomas, co-founded eMerchantBroker. His passions include producing music, and traveling to far off exotic places. EMB is America’s No. 1 payday loan merchant account company, serving both traditional and high-risk merchants.