PAYDAYLOANS.CA and
PAYDAYLOAN.CA are
payday loan sites under construction (03/3/2008)
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A
payday loan (also called a paycheck advance
or payday advance) is a small, short-term loan that is intended to cover a
borrower's expenses until his or her next payday.
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Typical
payday loans are between $100 and $500,
on a two-week term and have interest rates in the range of 390 percent to
780 percent (APR). The loans are also sometimes referred to as
cash advances, though that term can also
refer to cash provided against a prearranged line of credit such as a credit
card.
Payday loans in Canada
According to the
Canadian Criminal Code, any rate of interest charged above 60% per annum is
considered criminal. On August 14, 2006, the Supreme Court of British
Columbia issued its decision in a class action lawsuit against A OK
Payday Loans.
A OK Payday Loans
charged its customers 21% interest, as well as a "processing" fee of
C$9.50 for every $50.00 borrowed. In addition a "deferral" fee of $25.00 for
every $100.00 was charged if a customer wanted to delay payment. The judge
ruled that the processing and deferral fees were interest, and that A OK was
charging its customers a criminal rate of interest.
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The payout as a
result of this decision is expected to be several million dollars. The
British Columbia Court of Appeal unanimously affirmed this decision.
Federal legislation passed in the spring of 2007 transferred regulatory
authority on payday loans to the provinces.
Critics blame payday lenders for
exploiting people's financial hardship for profit. They say lenders target
the young and the poor, particularly those near military bases and in
low-income communities. They also say that borrowers may not understand that
the high interest rates are likely to trap them in a "debt-cycle," where
they have to repeatedly renew the loan and pay associated fees every two
weeks until they can finally save enough to pay off the principal and get
out of debt. Critics also say that payday lending
unfairly disadvantages the poor, compared to the middle class who pay at
most 25% or so on their credit cards.
However, supporters argue that some individuals that require the use of
payday loans have already exhausted or
ruined any other alternatives. Payday lenders argue that a bank's overdraft
fees, which often are $25 or more per instance, can be much more costly than
the $15-30 per hundred dollars borrowed from a lender.
By law, a payday lender can use only the same industry standard collection
practices used to collect other debts.
In many cases, the borrower has written a post-dated check to the lender; if
the borrower defaults, then this check will bounce. Some payday lenders have
therefore threatened delinquent borrowers with criminal prosecution, for
check fraud. This practice is illegal in many jurisdictions and has resulted
in regulatory action.
PAYDAYLOANS.CA and PAYDAYLOAN.CA
are payday loan sites
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