By Charlene Crowell NNPA Columnist The New Year’s tradition of making resolutions is sometimes an opportunity to turn dreams into specific goals and efforts – like losing pounds gained during holiday excesses. When it comes to financial matters, now is a perfect time to also assess lending habits and ways to develop greater financial security. [...]

On March 19th the State Senate Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs, Biotechnology, and Financial Institutions held a public hearing in West Allis on payday loans. During the five hour plus hearing, which the Milwaukee Courier attended, testimony was provided by interested parties, including many constituents of select committee members. By all accounts, it appeared [...]

Payday Reform Legislation limits consumer choices/threatens privacy Last week the Wisconsin State Assembly voted to pass Substitute Amendment 1 to Assembly Bill 447. This is payday lending regulation that places a cap on the overall loan amount for short term loans, prohibits rollovers, and bans consumers from seeking more than one short term loan at [...]

If you’ve ever been in a situation (as most of us have) of being caught short in a financial crisis, then you’ll know just what a bonus a shortterm payday loan can be. I know that many of us have found ourselves in mid-month with no cash and a family to feed; others have been [...]

Wisconsin is the only state in the United States that does not have any regulation dealing with payday lending. A half-dozen bills to regulate the payday loan industry are being considered in Madison but the residents most impacted by those businesses have rarely been heard from in those discussions. The Social Development Commission (SDC) wants [...]