Before her tragic passing, our writing fellow focused on rural Americans, marginalized communities, and the swing state she called home.
payday lending
Posted inEconomic Policy
A Continuing Struggle to Reform Payday Lending
While several states have capped interest rates recently, in Rhode Island, removing debt traps has been a 15-year odyssey with no end in sight.
Posted inEconomic Policy
The Problem Isn’t Financial Literacy, It’s Financial Fairness
In California, no-fee accounts would combat systemic discrimination in banking services.
Posted inLaw and Justice
Supreme Court Seems Hesitant to Toss Out the CFPB
Oral arguments today saw the justices skeptical that the Constitution doesn’t allow Congress to fund the CFPB in a particular fashion.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Clarence Thomas Has Yet Another Huge Conflict of Interest
Revolving Door Project research reveals that right-wing elites in the Horatio Alger Association stand to benefit from a lawsuit attempting to destroy the CFPB. The group has close ties to Clarence Thomas.
Posted inEconomic Policy
Sketchy Auto Title Loans Under Fire
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is taking aim at the practice of borrowers exchanging the title of their vehicle for a small-dollar loan.
Posted inLaw and Justice
Fleecing in Indian Country
An undercovered SCOTUS decision brushes against Native sovereign immunity, but also potentially snuffs out loopholes exploited by payday lenders.
Posted inEconomic Policy
Predatory Lending’s Prey of Color
Black and Latino borrowers are more likely to get trapped in cycles of debt, because they have few other options for dealing with structural poverty.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Fintech’s Latest Scheme
Earned wage access is pitched as a way to instantly get money for paid work. But companies attach high fees, and they are seeking exemptions from consumer protection laws.
Posted inHealth and Social Policy
Big Retail Surveils Food Stamp User Data
SNAP beneficiaries can now shop online. Payday lenders are hoping to advertise to them.