Category: Debt
A lender sued thousands of lower-income Latinos during the pandemic. Now it wants to be a National Bank.
Oportun, which lends in only a dozen states, applied for a bank charter late last year. Consumer and Latino civil rights groups are pushing back, citing the findings of a joint investigation by ProPublica and The…
Debt collectors have made a fortune this year. Now they’re coming for more.
After a pause for the pandemic, debt buyers are back in the courts, suing debtors by the thousands. by Paul Kiel and Jeff Ernsthausen Earlier this year, the pandemic swept across the country, killing 100,000 Americans…
The loan company that sued thousands of low-income Latinos during the pandemic
A monthslong investigation revealed that Oportun Inc., which was founded to help Latino immigrants build credit, routinely uses lawsuits to intimidate a vulnerable population into keeping up with high-interest loan payments — even amid COVID-19. by…
Microfinance is now a mega-mess
by Wade Rathke New Orleans A little less than a decade ago, in mid-2011, ACORN International stirred up a bit of a hornets’ nest by opposing the international development consensus in a series of reports we…
They sued thousands of borrowers during the pandemic — Until we started asking questions
Months into the pandemic, a lender that markets to Latino immigrants continued to sue borrowers after they lost jobs and missed payments. But they reversed course when we started asking questions. by Kiah Collier and Ren…
Capital One and other debt collectors are still coming for millions of Americans
As the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Americans got protection from evictions, foreclosures and student debt. But debt collectors have continued to siphon off their share of paychecks from those who still have jobs. by Paul Kiel and…
Why can’t we fix payday lending?
Pearl River We’ve been fighting payday lending for over fifteen years in Canada with some success as well a truckload of frustration. The issue has been in our sights for several decades in the United…
One thing the pandemic hasn’t stopped: aggressive medical-debt collection
U.S. hospitals are in the spotlight for being on the frontline of fighting the pandemic. But in the shadows, debt collection operations continue, often by the same institutions treating coronavirus patients, all while unemployment and uncertainty…
Coronavirus put her out of work, then debt collectors Froze her savings account
Kim Boatswain’s tax refund could have helped her get through the coronavirus slowdown. But debt collectors seized it. There are few options for Texans like Boatswain whose money was taken just before the state temporarily banned…
They loan you money. Then they get a warrant for your arrest.
THE NEW DEBTORS PRISONS High-interest loan companies are using Utah’s small claims courts to arrest borrowers and take their bail money. Technically, the warrants are issued for missing court hearings. For many, that’s a distinction without…
