payday loan nightmare

Quote:
Texas payday loan laws were first enacted in June of 2000. As with other states, Texas payday loan laws state that a lender must obtain a license before they operate. Under Texas state law, a company that engages in the business of payday loans is defined as any person(s) making cash advances in exchange for a consumer????????s personal check, or in exchange fore the consumer????????s authorization to debit the consumer????????s deposit account. The licensing laws for payday loan lenders in Texas are the same as stated under the Texas Finance Code Ann. 342.
Texas payday loan laws have different requirements on fees than other states. Under Texas law a lender is allowed to charge no more than $1 per $5 that????????s borrowed for loans under $30. For loans over $30 but no more than $100, a service fee of one-tenth the amount can be applied. And for cash advances over $100, a fee of no more than $10 can be charged.

Texas payday loan laws also permit handling charges in addition to service or interest fees. Under Texas law, a $3.50 handling charge can be added each month to the total amount as long as the amount of the loan doesn????????t exceed $35. If the cash advance is over $35 but no more than $70, monthly handling charge of $4 can be applied. For loans over that amount, a $4 fee can be added each month for every $100 that????????s borrowed.

Payday loan lenders in Texas must post a notice with a fee schedule along with a written agreement. The agreement must contain the name of the lender, the transaction date, the amount of the check, an itemization of fees, the earliest date the check must be deposited, and a total amount expressed in U.S. dollars and as an annual percentage rate. The agreement form should have the name, address, and phone number of the Consumer Credit Commissioner. Texas payday loan laws also require that the agreement form provide a notice that sates payday loans are intended for short-term cash needs.

Texas payday loan laws prohibit lenders from dividing one loan into two loans for the sole purpose of collecting higher interest fees. The maximum term limit for payday loans in Texas is 31 days. The minimal term limit for payday loans is 7 days.

Under Texas law, a lender cannot pursue criminal charges to collect on a debt. Also, a payday loan lender is limited as to how many times a loan can be renewed. Currently under Texas law, lenders are allowed to renew a payday loan one time each month.


Quote:
Texas laws:

Texas State Information

Legal Status: Legal

Citation:
7 Tex. Admin. Code ???? 1.605; Tex. Fin. Code Ann. ???????? 342.251 et seq. and 342.601 et seq.

Loan Terms:
Maximum Loan Amount:
Loan Term: 7-31 days
Maximum Finance Rate and Fees: $10 per loan + 48% annual interest
Finance Charge for 14-day $100 loan: $12
apr for 14-day $100 loan: 309%

Debt Limits:
Maximum Number of Outstanding Loans at One Time: Not Specified ($500 aggregate loans outstanding to all licensees)
Rollovers Permitted: None (if renewal charge is less than maximum interest rate permitted; otherwise convert to declining balance installment note)
Cooling-off Period:
Repayment Plan:

Collection Limits:
Collection Fees: Not Specified
Criminal Action: Not Specified

Where to Complain, Get Information:
Regulator: Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner
Address: 2601 N. Lamar Blvd. Austin TX 78705
Phone: (512) 936-7600
Fax: (512) 936-7610

Quote:
What is a CSO Credit Services Organization

In essence, a CSO or Credit Services Organization is defined by the Texas Credit Services Organization Act (Section 393 of the Texas Finance Code) as an entity or person that provides one of the following services:

Improving a consumer's credit history or rating

Obtaining an extension of consumer credit for the consumer

Providing advice or assistance to a consumer regarding the previous two services

An important aspect of the CSO or Credit Services Organization model is that there IS NO LICENSING required by the state! CSO's are required to "REGISTER" with the Secretary of State, they are NOT licensed, AND THEIR FEES ARE NOT REGULATED.

How does the CSO Credit Services Organization work with payday loans?

The CSO Credit Services Organization operates as a broker, much as they did when partnering with the banks (payday loan bank model). The Texas Credit Services Organization Act (CSOA) allows the payday loan lender to register as a CSO and act as a loan broker. Thus, the CSO, previously a payday loan company, can make loans via consumer lending companies that are UNREGISTERED and UNLICENSED. The CSO Credit Services Organization acts as a broker for the consumer in need of funds by issuing a "letter-of-credit" on behalf of the consumer to a lender. This third-party unregistered lender funds the "loan" brokered by the CSO "broker".

Typically the CSO Credit Services Organization collects 3 fees:

A referral fee for referring the consumer to the unregistered, unregulated lender that actually funds the "loan". This is not stipulated by any law but is currently $20 to $30 per $100

An application fee for filling out the CSO documents; typically $10 per $100

The interest on the "loan"; Texas state law caps this at $10 per $100.

The CSO Credit Services Organization model arises from a U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals opinion, in Lovick vs. Rite Money, which held that payments to a registered CSO loan broker could not be treated as interest.

To Whom It May Concern:

After doing research on internet payday loan laws in the state of Connecticut, I have found that your internet payday loans are actually illegal. I have also found the following laws to be true applying to payday loans in the state of Connecticut in general:

Legal Status: Prohibited

Citation:
Usury act applies or small loan act applies. Conn. Gen. Stat.???? 36a-563

Small Loan Rate Cap
30.03% apr or $17 per $100 up to $600; $11 per $100 up to $1,800; add-on interest.

I have contacted the Connecticut Office of Financial Institutions and the Connecticut State Attorney General's Office regarding your internet payday loans and was informed they are indeed illegal in Connecticut and was advised to pay what is due according to principle amount only of the loan.

To date, I have paid $525.00 DOLLARS on my $250.00 DOLLAR loan. The legal amount that could have been charged to my loan is the principal amount of $250.00 DOLLARS even if your internet pay day loan was legal in Connecticut. I have paid $525.00 DOLLARS on this loan by your debits of my bank account. Please mark this account as PAID IN FULL.

I demand that any contact be made through US Postal mail or email only. I will need everything in writing to keep accurate records of all communication as per instruction from my state Attorney General's Office.

I prohibit you or your affiliates to contact me via telephone at my place of employment or my home telephone number. I also prohibit you from calling my references listed on my loan. Once I inform you of this, you must stop the telephone contact immediately or you will be once again breaking the laws of the state of Connecticut.

You are also hereby notified that I am revoking any voluntary wage assignment I may or may not have signed. I no longer authorize you, your company, or your affiliates to attach any part of my wages or contact my employer for your collection purposes.

I am revoking your right to debit my checking account any longer. You, your company, or your affiliates are not authorized to debit my checking account at all. Please be aware that I have informed my financial institution of this situation and they will also be receiving a copy of this correspondence. Any further attempts at debiting my account will be rejected by my financial institution.

I must also inform you that I have filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission, and my state Attorney General's Office.

I expect a response from your company no later than 5/2/2008, regarding this matter. This response may only come via US Postal mail or email. No telephone contact is permitted.

Thank you,

What should you do?
Close your account asap, if you are unable to close your account, go into your bank and ask to speak with the Branch Manager, tell him/her you need a hard debit block placed on your account immediately! Explain that you are revoking ACH authorizations from unlicensed/illegal companies, and have learned these companies are notorious for ignoring revocation, therefore it is important to BLOCK any withdrawal attempts on your account to protect your interest. This is your privilege, do not accept no for an answer. The following link will provide you important information regarding closing accounts. CLICK HERE

What next?
AFTER your account is secure send each pdl (the unlicensed and illegal) an email similar to THIS (please scroll down to locate letter template). Tailor this letter to your needs, and try to write it with the same basic concept in your own words. You will need to research and locate email addresses/physical addresses if you don't already have them, I suggest that you type the name of the pdl (example: "oneclickcash address") in the search box in the upper right hand corner of this forum. You may also search for addresses HERE at the Better Business Bureau.

File complaints: Most of the time, you can file a complaint online with the following, I encourage you to follow through with doing so, you will need to search the Internet for your state Attorney General's website, however, here are links to file complaints for the FTC, Online complaints: Federal Trade Commission., and the BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU.

Keep in mind that you may not receive a response for days, or even weeks, or, you may receive harassing and threatening phone calls. I have found the best way to deal with this is not to respond or reply, simply hang up.

Side note: If you have paid an illegal/unlicensed payday lender above and beyond the principal amount you borrowed, it might be a good idea to demand a refund and a paid in full letter/receipt. You may or may not get one or both. It still doesn't hurt to include that tidbit in your letter.

To Whom It May Concern:

After doing research on internet payday loan laws in the state of Connecticut, I have found that your internet payday loans are actually illegal. I have also found the following laws to be true applying to payday loans in the state of Connecticut in general:

Legal Status: Prohibited

Citation:
Usury act applies or small loan act applies. Conn. Gen. Stat.???? 36a-563

Small Loan Rate Cap
30.03% apr or $17 per $100 up to $600; $11 per $100 up to $1,800; add-on interest.

I have contacted the Connecticut Office of Financial Institutions and the Connecticut State Attorney General's Office regarding your internet payday loans and was informed they are indeed illegal in Connecticut and was advised to pay what is due according to principle amount only of the loan.

To date, I have paid $525.00 DOLLARS on my $250.00 DOLLAR loan. The legal amount that could have been charged to my loan is the principal amount of $250.00 DOLLARS even if your internet pay day loan was legal in Connecticut. I have paid $525.00 DOLLARS on this loan by your debits of my bank account. Please mark this account as PAID IN FULL.

I demand that any contact be made through US Postal mail or email only. I will need everything in writing to keep accurate records of all communication as per instruction from my state Attorney General's Office.

I prohibit you or your affiliates to contact me via telephone at my place of employment or my home telephone number. I also prohibit you from calling my references listed on my loan. Once I inform you of this, you must stop the telephone contact immediately or you will be once again breaking the laws of the state of Connecticut.

You are also hereby notified that I am revoking any voluntary wage assignment I may or may not have signed. I no longer authorize you, your company, or your affiliates to attach any part of my wages or contact my employer for your collection purposes.

I am revoking your right to debit my checking account any longer. You, your company, or your affiliates are not authorized to debit my checking account at all. Please be aware that I have informed my financial institution of this situation and they will also be receiving a copy of this correspondence. Any further attempts at debiting my account will be rejected by my financial institution.

I must also inform you that I have filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission, and my state Attorney General's Office.

I expect a response from your company no later than 5/2/2008, regarding this matter. This response may only come via US Postal mail or email. No telephone contact is permitted.

Thank you,

Speedy Cash is a member of CSFA so you can request an EPP and make 4 equal payments to pay them off but you need to set up these at least one day before they are due and stick to the repayment plan.

Originally Posted by Anonymous

Are these companies able to operate in Texas? They are all small loans except cashnetusa.com 500 and less I have paid alot more than the the loan amount. I took one to pay for another after I had a to have my cervix and uterus removed due to cervical cancer then things got out of hand.

Cashnetusa.com

goodtimescash.com

getecash.com

paydaymax.com

pay1day.com

pdl.com

paycheckstoday.com

cashcentral.com

first bank of delaware which i think is fbdloans.com

paydayone.com

checkngo.com

Originally Posted by Anonymous

Im trying to help two co-workers who have pay day loans from store front and internet pay day loans. We are located in Charleston SC and I am trying to find out if the pay day internet loan companies are licensed here. Ive read if they are not licensed here and following all the compliance laws they can not take legal actions and all she would need to do is send a cease and desist, close her account or tell the bank to stop processing those withdrawls. I want to be able to tell my co-worker all the laws when they start calling and harrassing her. She has already paid 3 times over what she borrowed and from what I have read already that is way to much! If someone can give me the websites I can do the leg work. Ive been in debt before and I want to help I know how stressful this can be.

Thanks