Pew's Safe Small-Dollar Loans Research Project focuses on small-dollar credit products such as payday and automobile title loans, as well as emerging alternatives. The project works to find safe and transparent solutions to meet consumers’ immediate financial needs.
Why Safe Small-Dollar Loans Matter
Millions of American families spend billions of dollars taking out payday loans each year. These loans typically offer about two weeks of credit, but at annual interest rates around 400 percent. There is little research about how small credit can most help consumers without creating a cycle of high-cost debt.
How We Conduct Our Work
Pew's Safe Small-Dollar Loans Research Project seeks to identify and analyze borrowers’ needs, expectations, and experiences when it comes to small-dollar credit. It also researches a variety of loan products and the business models used by their providers, with a focus on studying the impact on borrowers.
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The LATEST from the Project
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- Safe Small-Dollar Loans Research Project
Payday Loans Do Not Eliminate Checking Account Overdrafts
Payday lenders often advertise their loans as a way to avoid expensive checking account overdrafts. Research shows most borrowers end up paying fees for both. more
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May 9, 2013
Payday Loans Explained
Twelve million Americans take out payday loans every year, but there are still misconceptions about how they are actually used. Follow the story of Jennifer, a typical payday loan customer, who takes out a cash advance on her paycheck to make ends meet, but ends up paying more than $500 in fees. more
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- Media Coverage
- Safe Small-Dollar Loans Research Project
Akron Beacon Journal: Convenient Trap
The Pew Charitable Trusts issued a report on payday-loan borrowers in February that said: “The choice to use payday loans is largely driven by unrealistic expectations and by desperation. Borrowers perceive the loans to be a reasonable short-term choice but express surprise and frustration at how long it takes to pay them back.” more
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- Media Coverage
- Safe Small-Dollar Loans Research Project
Philadelphia Inquirer: CFPB: Payday Loans Leading to 'Revolving Door of Debt'
Short-term "payday" loans, and similar "deposit advance" loans offered by major banks, are trapping many consumers in a "revolving door of debt," according to a study due by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The CFPB's study echoes findings in a February report by the Pew Charitable Trusts' Safe Small Dollar Loans Research Project. more
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- Media Coverage
- Safe Small-Dollar Loans Research Project
Los Angeles Times: Bill Would Limit Number of Payday Loans to Any One Borrower
A bill before the California Legislature would restrict the number of payday loans to any one borrower — an attempt to break the "debt cycle" that ensnares some of the state's poorest residents. more
