Apex 1 Processing d/b/a/ Paycheck Today & Signmyloan.net

I have two loans, one with each of these companies. I have been making my payments fine and then all of a sudden last week I got an unknown deposit to my account from SSM LLC. I contacted them and found they had gotten my information from an application I filled out (which has to have been the same one I used for the two companies listed above) and had used that as authorization to deposit money to me. I contacted my bank and they strongly advised I close my bank account (which I have had for more than 6 years) and open a new one to prevent any activity from PDL from occurring. I arranged for SSM to debit my account for the $300 they put in last week because obviously I don't want it. My bank opened a new account for me and I am going to close my old one.

My questions are:

1) I live in NY and payday loans are illegal. Does this mean I can send a letter to Paycheck today and Signmyloan and refuse to pay anything but the principal? I do want to pay the principal amount but the fees really are horrific.

2) I don't want to give my new acct. information to the PDL companies (even though I was not late or in any trouble with making the payments, this issue with SSM has convinced me that NO PDL company should have my bank account info) and instead want to mail them payments. Is this legal or could they sue me? I have prepared letters to send to both companies but I'm unsure of how to go about this.

3) If I send them each a DO NOT CALL letter, will that prevent them from contacting my employer and references?

4) I live in NY, my bank is in TX and I have no idea where these PDL companies originate (I think one is the West Indies!!). Does it matter where the PDL company originates? Must they still follow NYS law since that is where I live?

Thanks to all for any help.