HB3935 amends the Payday Loan Reform Act and the Consumer Installment Loan Act to prohibit lenders that illegally make loans to borrowers in Illinois from collecting any portion of an outstanding loan.  The bill protects consumers trapped in loans originated by unlicensed lenders by ensuring that lenders cannot collect principal, interest, or any additional fees in the court system, or through any prearranged payment agreement.  Currently, the only remedy to unlicensed lending is a cease and desist order issued by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

Not all online lenders are unlicensed. Some lenders hold state licenses and issue loans with the same consumer protections as loans issued by brick-and-mortar lenders. HB3935 does not affect a licensed lender’s ability to make payday loans, payday installment loans, auto title loans, or small consumer loans—it simply gives regulators more effective tools for enforcing Illinois’ consumer protection laws.

Please contact your Illinois senator (look up your elected officials here) and ask him or her to support HB 3935 so that payday lenders operating illegally in Illinois can’t keep families trapped in a cycle of debt.