At 650% Interest, That Online Payday Loan Is a Steal

Ars Technica
Monday, October 6, 2014

study by the Pew Charitable Trusts reveals that online payday lenders are often more predatory than their storefront counterparts. The report, which surveyed over 700 borrowers, found average online interest rates of 650 percent, compared to 391 percent for storefronts. Forty-six percent of online borrowers report that lenders made withdrawals that overdrew their checking accounts, twice the rate of storefront borrowers. Thirty percent of internet borrowers received a threat from their lender. Online lenders were over twice as likely to threaten arrest or to contact an employer. Twenty-two percent of online borrowers have lost bank accounts because of payday loans. The highest volume of online payday loan web searches occurred around the holidays.