The Dangers of Payday Loans: What You Need to Know

Payday loans can be incredibly dangerous if not used responsibly. Learn more about why they're so risky and what alternatives exist.

The Dangers of Payday Loans: What You Need to Know

Payday loans are a type of short-term loan that can be incredibly tempting for those who have no cash reserves and a credit history lower than sterling. But the truth is, payday loans can be incredibly dangerous and can trap you in a cycle of debt from which it is almost impossible to get out. The main problem with payday loans is that you have too little time to pay the full amount you owe. In fact, you usually only have a few weeks at most to calculate the total value of the loan.

This is a far cry from traditional personal loans, which you can repay in several years. Everyday people are devastated by the payday loan debt trap. They turn to payday lenders for a short-term need for cash and end up stuck for months, even years, paying large fees on small loans without being able to pay them once and for all. Driven by fear of returned checks or false threat of processing, payday borrowers are forced to pay loan fees before paying basic living expenses such as rent, mortgage, electricity.

Payday loans are designed to trap you in a debt cycle. When an emergency happens and you have poor credit and you don't have savings, it may seem like you have no other choice. But choosing a payday loan negatively affects your credit, any savings you might have had, and may even cause you to take you to court. Lenders Say High Rates Are Necessary Because Payday Loans Are Risky To Finance. And opponents of the Obama-era payday loan rule argue that the provisions on capacity to pay were too onerous and costly. The provisions on capacity to repay were simply unfeasible and imposed burdens on consumers and lenders in the form of unreasonable levels of documentation that were not even required of mortgage lenders, Lynn DeVault, president of the American Community Financial Services Association, said Tuesday.

The complex and costly regulations would have effectively left lenders out of business rather than protecting consumers, he added. Traditional bank loans are very different from payday loans. The interest rate is determined by the risk (credit rating), the type of loan and the type of collateral that the borrower can offer for the loan. Bank loans will have much lower interest rates than payday loans, but they are not available to everyone. Many people get their first loan, when they don't have a credit history, by having someone else sign it together.

A guarantor is someone, usually a parent or other relative, who agrees to repay the loan if the borrower is unable. Student loans are an example of a type of loan that often has a guarantee; if the borrower is a student, they may not have the credit history or security to take out a loan on their own. Default on a payday loan can result in bank overdraft fees, collection calls, damage to your credit score, a day in court, and a garnishment of your paycheck. This video follows the story of Jennifer, a fictional character who represents a typical payday loan customer. Like Jennifer, many borrowers apply for these short-term loans because they want to avoid asking friends or family for money, their credit cards are exhausted, and because loans are easy to obtain.

To qualify, customers only need a deposit and a checking account. It will require sacrifice on your part and a commitment that the alternative to a payday loan is to be very disciplined with every penny you earn. Among Americans who report losing income, 3% of respondents say they have had to borrow money with a payday loan, deposit advance or pawn shop loan. As a graduate student in the Triangle area of North Carolina, Allen King* found it very difficult to repay the four payday loans he had accumulated, as lenders did not offer installment plans. A credit-building loan works by granting you a loan in which profits are deposited into a savings account. Some payday lenders try to get their money back by taking what is owed directly from borrowers' checking accounts, to which borrowers grant access as a condition of the loan. But since payday loans trap you in a cycle from which it is almost impossible to get out of, it's worth striving. Payday loans can be very tempting, especially for those who have no cash reserves and a credit history lower than sterling.

According to Pew Charitable Trust study, 75% of Americans favor greater regulation of payday loans. Safer loans follow national credit union guidelines or limit payments to 5% of income and limit loan duration to six months. The risk of a loan is determined by a number of factors: the two most important are the borrower's credit score and whether the loan is secured or not. The fees Mary has to pay to avoid defaulting on her payday loans amount to more than 40 percent of her monthly income. Because richer and whiter households tend to have access to other forms of credit, payday loans tend to be used mainly by the poorest households and people of color. Payday loans can be incredibly dangerous if not used responsibly. It's important that borrowers understand all their options before taking out any kind of loan so they can make an informed decision about what's best for them.

Leave Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *