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Loan Tips
."GET CASH UNTIL PAYDAY! . . . $100 OR MORE . . . FAST."The ads
are on the radio, television, the Internet, even in the mail. They refer to
payday loans - which come at a very high price. Check cashers, finance companies
and others are making small, short-term, high-rate loans that go by a variety
of names: payday loans, cash advance loans, check advance loans, post-dated
check loans or deferred deposit check loans. Usually, a borrower writes a
personal check payable to the lender for the amount he or she wishes to borrow
plus a fee. The company gives the borrower the amount of the check minus the
fee. Fees charged for payday loans are usually a percentage of the face value
of the check or a fee charged per amount borrowed - say, for every $50 or $100
loaned. And, if you extend or "roll-over" the loan - say for another two weeks
- you will pay the fees for each extension. Under the Truth in Lending Act, the
cost of payday loans - like other types of credit - must be disclosed. Among
other information, you must receive, in writing, the finance charge (a dollar
amount) and the annual percentage rate or APR (the cost of credit on a yearly
basis).A cash advance loan secured by a personal check - such as a payday loan
- is very expensive credit. Let's say you write a personal check for $115 to
borrow $100 for up to 14 days. The check casher or payday lender agrees to hold
the check until your next payday. At that time, depending on the particular
plan, the lender deposits the check, you redeem the check by paying the $115 in
cash, or you roll-over the check by paying a fee to extend the loan for another
two weeks. In this example, the cost of the initial loan is a $15 finance
charge and 391 percent APR. If you roll-over the loan three times, the finance
charge would climb to $60 to borrow $100.Where to Complain If you think your
lender has violated the law, you may wish to contact the lender or loan
service to register your concerns. At the same time, you may want to contact
an attorney, your state Attorney General's office or banking regulatory agency,
or the Federal Trade Commission.
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