Truth in Payday Lending: Mariely’s Story
Sometimes emergency loans are needed for issues that are more dire than, say, paying a late utility bill or replacing tires. In Mariely’s case, she needed the money to send to her mother in Guatemala. She’s diabetic and was in need of an expensive surgery.
Mariely needed $1,000 for the surgery, so she decided to take out $500 from a local payday lender in Akron, Ohio. She had a month to pay it back, but as is the case with so many payday borrowers, she had to take out more loans to pay back the initial one.
Ultimately she ended up paying more than $1,800 in fees to her lender.
Mariely says the entire ordeal with her lender has been a harmful one.
“It’s been a painful experience. I am working solely for them now,” said Mariely. On top of her mothers’ illness and struggling to pay back the loan for her surgery, she’s had to deal with her apartment burning down.
She’s been forced to choose between paying her bills and paying her lender, and she fell behind in paying others. She has sought help from friends and family, but admits that she’s not sure if she’ll need to seek out another loan in the future.
“I feel as if the world is crashing down on me,” she said.
Unfortunately, Mariely is still paying back her initial loan, but we wish her the best in resolving that. With the help of our Affiliates, she will. You can help fight back against shady payday lenders, though, and ensure that what happened to Mariely doesn’t happen to anyone else.
The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) is currently considering adopting a rule that would curb payday lending practices. Help us fight back against predatory lenders by voicing your support for the CFPB rule.