Pay Day Loans - Are They A Crime?

No, but the Consumer Federation of America calls pay day loans legal loan sharking.

It Is A Fee, Not Excessive Interest. Pay day loans are legal in most states because they are charging you a fee, not an excessive interest rate. Excessive interest rates are illegal in most states.

Outrageous Credit. Pay day loans are an outrageous form of credit. For example, let's say you write a personal check for $115 to get $100 for up to 14 days. The $15 fee equates to a 391% annual percentage rate (APR). This APR keeps going up if you extend the “loan” week after week.

Bad Debt vs. Bounced Check. Worst yet, if you are not able to honor your check it is not a bad debt, it’s a bad check with the associated non-sufficient fund (NSF) fees from your bank. Then to top it off, your local district attorney’s office may get involve acting as a collection agency for the bad check you wrote.

What Are The Alternatives To Pay Day Loans?

Loan Shark? “I just need enough cash to tide me over until payday.” Please resist the pay day loan. The pay day loan offer is preying upon your unfortunate circumstances, be it innocent or through your poor choices. Before taking out a pay day loan, ask yourself would you consider going to a loan shark with high interest and the unhappy consequences of not paying them back.

Friends, Family, Community? What can you do? If your unfortunate circumstances are innocent, consider going to your family, friends, church, community organizations or alternative forms of credit for help. If you are making poor choices in regard to money and the options above are not working, here are some options:

Budget Yourself Before Your Creditors take Your Good Name. Do you have expensive habits that you cannot afford? If times are tight, look where you cut expenses. For example, if you have all the premium stations on cable and you are getting can food for your family at the food bank, what should you do?

Increase Your Income to Match Your Life Style. Look at your job situation. Can you get a raise, get a new job, get a second job, or supplement your income?

Change Your Life Style. If you have an excessive life style, such as drugs or living beyond your means, seek help as things are only going to get worst. Consider a roommate or moving in with relatives. Seek guidance from your church, community organizations, and Government organizations. Your situation may look bleak, but it is not unique. Many people are and have been in your situation, and they changed their lives with just a little help from others.

Consumer Counseling. If you are really ready to make a change in your borrowing habits, there are several reputable organizations that can help you. Visit http://www.easyaccessclub.com/consolidate_debt.html for more tips and featured reputable debt consolidators.