Pawnbrokers Continue Making Loans at 243.3% APR Despite State Rate Cap of 36% APR For Immediate Release:September 26th, 2023 Contact:Rob Mayo (Woodstock Institute)rmayo@woodstockinst.org ILLINOIS – The American Fintech Council (AFC), the premier industry association representing responsible fintech companies and...
Woodstock Institute Senior Vice President of Policy and Advocacy Brent Adams sat down with KSDK NBC’s Mark Maxwell to talk about the many Illinois consumers struggling under the weight of unaffordable, exploitive debt along with the pawn industry’s efforts...
Woodstock Institute and other consumer advocates are opposed to HB 1519, a bill backed by the Income Share Agreement (ISA) industry that would codify some of the industry’s worst practices — practices that saddle graduates with a mountain of...
Pawnbrokers and their lobbyists stopped the Illinois General Assembly from passing legislation that would have made it illegal for pawn shops to charge triple-digit interest rates on consumer loans, despite the passage of the 2021 Predatory Loan Prevention Act...
Households that do not have a bank account are nearly five times as likely to be pawnshop borrowers as households with a bank account. Over 80% of pawnshop loan borrowers are unbanked, which is one reason consumers turn to...
Faith leaders held a press conference December 23 to caution consumers about turning to predatory loans over the holidays.
We're proud to work with Consumer Federation of America to publish this report detailing alternatives to high cost loans and policy solutions to expand affordable options.
Reprinted from Nov. 16 Chicago Sun-Times letters to the Editor Friday was Veterans Day, when we honor and recognize veterans for their sacrifice of blood sweat and tears in service to our country. In Illinois, though, one way veterans...
Download our latest Close the Pawn Broker Loophole Fact Sheet and read the release for a November 30 news conference. The release highlights progress in Springfield toward capping pawn broker rates and fees at 36% under the Predatory Loan...
For Immediate Release: September 27, 2022 Contact: Brent Adams | 773-844-5544 Jane Doyle | 708-527-7568 Predatory Lenders’ Predictions of Gloom-and-Doom Fail to Materialize as Consumers Embrace Illinois’s Interest Rate Cap ILLINOIS – To test predatory lenders’ claims about the...