Capping interest rates won’t create a fairer system.
Topic: Usury
Good intentions don’t pay the bills. But choice, transparency, and access can.
For exceptional achievement in ignoring market realities and promoting policies that backfire spectacularly.
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.
Categories
Conservatism Courts Crime and Justice Culture Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Health Care Legal and Judicial Life Markets and Finance Medicaid Medicare New Mexico Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Public Opinion Top Issues Transparency Updates
‘Black Market Payday’ Makes Headlines: Unlicensed Lending by Tara Jaramillo
Price controls like New Mexico’s 36% APR cap have driven vulnerable workers into the hands of unlicensed lenders.
The veto of Alaska’s SB 39 preserves critical credit access for underserved consumers and rejects the failed model of rate caps seen in New Mexico and Illinois.
Categories
Conservatism Courts Crime and Justice Culture Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Government Transparency and Accountability Legal and Judicial Life Markets and Finance New Mexico Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Public Opinion Reports Top Issues Updates
Report: Black Market Payday
How government price controls created an illicit supply of emergency credit.
Last week, I had the opportunity to testify before the Alaska Senate Finance Committee on the dangers of Senate Bill 39, a proposal to impose a 36% APR cap on consumer credit. Additional testimony was submitted to the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee before the bill was advanced to the Senate Finance Committee. This legislation […]
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 […]
Categories
2025 Legislative Session Budget and Spending Conservatism Culture Debt Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Government Spending Government Transparency and Accountability Legal and Judicial Markets and Finance New Mexico Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Public Opinion Top Issues Updates
Banking on Failure: House Bill 130’s Public Bank Will Deepen New Mexico’s Credit Crisis
A public bank is a forced gamble with taxpayer dollars that ignores market realities, mandates risky lending, and risks compounding the damage caused by the artificial credit crisis created by New Mexico’s interest rate cap.