Are Payday Loans Right For You?
Americans have always been lectured on credit, especially the
evils of credit. This lecturing is usually done by consumer groups, charitable
organizations, banks and government agencies. Some of these groups are totally
divorced from the everyday lives of normal Americans, while others are
responsible for running up debts measured in billions of dollars. Sensible
Americans have usually taken this advice with caution, and gone on to make
informed decisions on their credit needs, taking into account their own
circumstances and ability to repay such credit.
Faxless payday loans are
now a fact of everyday life. Like all new products on the market, when they
began, they attracted a fair share of quick buck merchants. This is inevitable
in any emerging market. But with time, and the emergence of ethical, customer
orientated companies, and with State and Federal regulation, this market is now
considered mainstream and is used by mainstream Americans.
Online payday
loans, as most of the providers explain, are short term small consumer loans.
They are designed for short term cash outflow problems and are not designed for
long term loan commitments. Most consumers know this, and treat them
accordingly. Looked at in coldly clinical terms, yes, their APR is high, varying
from 250% to 500%. But normal people do not think in APR terms, they think in
dollar terms. They can see that a long term loan at 500% is financial suicide,
but they can see that a two week loan at $15 per $100 borrowed is a totally
affordable short term solution to a short term problem. If the alternatives are
taken into account, bank charges for bounced checks or late payment,
embarrassment and damaged credit ratings, then an online payday loan can be
looked on as a normal, mainstream option to normal mainstream problems that
arise every day.
Unlike the 20th Century loan shark customers, Faxless
cash advance customers are considered part of what consumer advocates consider
the financial mainstream. Also, unlike loan sharks, payday companies do not
target the poor, jobless vulnerable people. To qualify for such a loan you must
have a job, you must have a minimum monthly income and you must have a checking
account in good order, in other words, be part of todays financial mainstream.
Half such borrowers come from households with incomes between $25,000 and
$50,000 a year, according to an industry-funded study conducted by Georgetown
University's Credit Research Center. A quarter make more than $50,000 a year,
and a quarter less than $25,000.
These loans are now just one of many
credit products available to Americans. Used sensibly, for what they were
designed for, they can save you a lot of hassle, embarrassment, protect your
credit rating, and indeed can save you money.

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