March 15, 2022 — Issue Brief

The debt trap caused by short-term payday loans is well known. Payday and car title lenders are now increasingly moving into high-cost longer-term installment loans and lines of credit that can be a deeper and longer debt trap. Both short- and longer-term payday and title loans rely on high interest rates and coercive tactics to ensure the lender’s ability to collect rather than the borrower’s ability to repay.