The Obama administration's new consumer protection agency held its first public hearing Thursday about payday lending, an industry that brings in some $7 billion a year in fees nationwide.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said testimony from the session in Birmingham _ where City Council members recently passed a six-month moratorium on new payday lending businesses amid concern over their prevalence and high interest fees _ would help guide the development of future regulations.
Director Richard Cordray said the bureau recognizes the need for short-term loans, but the lending needs to help consumers, not harm them.
"Before this month, the federal government did not examine payday lenders," Cordray said. "Some state regulators have been examining payday lenders for compliance with their state laws. We hope to use our combined resources as effectively as possible."
About 19 million American households now have payday loans, officials said. With interest rates often in the teens and easy application procedures, lenders said they generate business through radio and television advertising, plus word-of-mouth and by locating offices in areas where other small-loan lenders are located.
Many in the standing-room crowd of more than 400 were lending company customers or employees who wore "I Choose Payday Advance" stickers provided by the industry.
Tanzy Bonner told a panel she got a payday loan to cover the cost of her 6-year-old's birthday party; LaDonna Banks said she got one because she couldn't work after donating a kidney to her brother.
"I borrowed the money, I paid the money back," Banks said.
Steven Hoyt, a Birmingham City Council member who supports the moratorium, urged the agency not to be swayed by such stories because the loans come with exorbitant interest fees.
"It's fleecing by any other name," Hoyt said.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been in the spotlight because of Republican opposition to its formation and President Barack Obama's use of a recess appointment earlier this month to tap Cordray, a former Ohio attorney general, as its director.
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Often criticized by advocates for the poor, payday loans are short-term, high-interest loans that work like cash advances. Storefront payday loan operations are prevalent in middle- to lower-income areas around Alabama, sometimes taking over closed
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In December 2009 Dubai received an additional $10 billion loan from Abu Dhabi and its economy is expected to continue a slow rebound. So, investing in renewable energy makes sense as a way for the Emirate to pare energy import bills.
The analysis also looked at credit cards, and found the average APR has increased slightly by 0.13 per cent to 18.41, with a 0.26 per cent increase on cash advance rates. However, the good news for anyone looking for a new card is the average
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