Texas Faith Leaders for Fair Lending Coalition calls for adherence to 180-day limit for payday loans

In comments filed with the Texas Attorney General, the Texas Faith Leaders for Fair Lending Coalition describes the effects of payday and auto title lending practices and regulations on the consumers of those products. "These lenders trap Texans in a cycle of debt which leaves borrowers worse off than before they applied for the loan," the coalition members explain. "At the same time, we have found through our ministry that borrowers make good faith attempts to repay these loans, and that lenders continue to collect payments from borrowers who have already paid two, three, or four times as much as they borrowed. This is unjust." The comments are signed by Jennifer Carr Allmon, executive director of the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops, Kathryn Freeman, director of public policy for the Texas Christian Life Commission, and Rucker Preston, executive director of the Texas Christian Community Development Network. Instead of extending loans beyond 180 days, the coalition writes, "We encourage the State Legislature to adopt a more comprehensive strategy to support a lending market that encourages borrower and lender success. The full comments may be found here.