unfair and deceptive loan origination
The Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI) has filed a formal complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) regarding the loan-sharking lending practices of former State Representative Tara Jaramillo and her company, Positive Outcomes, Inc. The action follows years of inaction by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez and other state agencies, despite overwhelming evidence […]
Good intentions don’t pay the bills. But choice, transparency, and access can.
Tara Jaramillo’s payday lending scheme didn’t happen despite New Mexico’s interest rate cap: it happened because of it, with a little help from Fred Nathan and the price-fixing crusaders at Think New Mexico.
Price controls like New Mexico’s 36% APR cap have driven vulnerable workers into the hands of unlicensed lenders.
How government price controls created an illicit supply of emergency credit.
Alaska’s Senate Bill 39 (SB 39) proposes a 36% APR cap on consumer loans up to $25,000. The bill aims to regulate financial services, prevent “predatory” lending, and bring state laws in line with federal consumer protection measures. However, while the bill’s intentions may seem noble, its real-world consequences will devastate Alaskan consumers—especially those with […]
The Southwest Public Policy Institute applauds the Alaskan Senate Finance Committee’s decision to not advance House Bill 145 and Senate Bill 264, ensuring continued consumer access to diverse emergency credit options.
Representing the Southwest Public Policy Institute, I recently had the opportunity to testify before the Alaska House Finance Committee and the Alaska Senate Community and Regional Affairs Committee regarding proposed legislation on consumer credit. The bills in question, House Bill 145 and its Senate counterpart, Senate Bill 264, aim to implement rate caps similar to […]
The 2022 passage of House Bill 132, which set a stringent cap of 36% on interest rates for consumer loans, is having its intended and significant repercussions on New Mexico’s financial landscape. This was no accident: by restricting the interest rates that small-dollar lenders can charge, the rate cap effectively marginalized an entire segment of […]
In response to Fred Nathan’s (July 30) op-ed praising New Mexico’s efforts to end predatory lending, I must assert that the celebratory tone is premature and misguided. Two significant studies conducted by the Southwest Public Policy Institute — “No Loan For You!” published in March 2023 and “No Loan For You, Too!” published in June […]
