Payday Loan Debt Keeps the Poor Paying More
Payday loan debt is keeping the poor poorer. What most experts already know keeps being validated time and again. Payday loan debt is a near-endless cycle of paying fees to keep a loan from defaulting. But that only keeps the loan from going into collections. It doesn’t even touch the principal or interest. And that means paying fees over and over again to keep a loan current–something that essentially makes borrowers spin their wheels.
Why Payday Loan Debt Mostly Affects the Poor
One reason payday loan debt is so prominent among the lowest wage earners is that is who lenders target. With in-depth market research and advertising analysis, cash advance lenders in Florida near you go straight for the people who can’t qualify for traditional loans and credit lines. But these are the same consumers who can least afford these loans:
“Marketed towards low-income demographics, the loans build a clientele on recycled debt rather than a long-term positive impact. Repeat borrowers make up 98% of payday loan volume. ” –The Florida Times-Union
Here’s how payday loan debt works against the borrower. Take out a $200 payday loan and pay on-average $30 in interest or $15 for each $100 borrowed. Now, the cash given to a borrower is typically less than the amount approved. After fees, the borrower gets $185. In two weeks, the borrower has to either repay $230 or pay a $30 service charge to extend their loan. But the principal and interest remain. Every time a loan is extended, it costs another $30. Figuring it as an annual percentage rate, that comes to 391 percent or $780.
How to Get Out of Payday Loan Debt
By far, the most preferable way to get out of payday loan debt is to stop borrowing, stop extending loans and just pay them off with cash. By taking on more hours at work, freelancing on the side or even selling some personal possessions, all can be ways out of payday loan debt.
Another way is to enter a payday loan consolidation agreement with a professional firm. The firm then negotiates with your creditors and you only have to make small monthly payments. It takes the pressure off and makes it affordable to get out of debt and stay debt free.
What is a Payday Loan Extended Payment Plan?
An extended payment plan is an option lenders give cash advance borrowers when borrowers can’t afford to repay their loans on-time and in-full. An EPP, or extended payment plan lets borrowers repay their cash advance loans over four installments and does not add any more fees or interest to the loan. But getting onto an extended payment plan isn’t easy. What’s more, even borrowers who qualify will be dropped from the program if they do not make one installment payment on-time.
How an Extended Payment Plan Works
EPPs are based on certain criteria. Only qualified borrowers can get onto an extended payment plan and once on it, must meet all the obligations. Here’s how the typical extended payment plan works. A borrower who has taken out a payday loan knows he or she won’t be able to repay their cash advance on-time and in one lump sum. The borrower requests his or her lender to be put on an EPP. If the borrower qualifies, he or she will make four payments, usually in equal portions, repaying his or her loan. The lender cannot add any more fees or interest to loans being repaid through an extended payment plan https://www.usaloansnearme.com/.
Qualifying for an Extended Payment Plan
EPPs are given out to borrowers who are not in default on any other loans and cannot be even one day late on their outstanding payday loan. Lenders must be a valid member of the Community Financial Services Association of America or CFSA. And borrowers must ask to be put onto an extended payment plan, lenders will not offer it on their own. In addition, the borrower must make their request in the same way they got their loan, in-person or online and must make said request before the close of business on the day before their loan is due.
Many borrowers won’t be eligible to get on an extended payment plan. Rather than ignoring the debt or filing for bankruptcy, borrowers struggling with payday loan debt can find relief through a payday loan consolidation plan. These plans give borrowers the option to make small monthly payments until they are debt free.