FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Spiritual teams declare coalition to fight predatory lending
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Citing spiritual texts and proof of extensive injury to households from high-cost payday advances, a diverse number of faith companies announced today the forming of a fresh coalition to fight payday lending and predatory financial techniques during a press seminar on Capitol Hill.
Users of the Faith for Just Lending coalition range from the Center for Public Justice, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Ecumenical Poverty Initiative, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission associated with Southern Baptist Convention, nationwide Association of Evangelicals, National Baptist Convention, United States Of America, Inc., nationwide Latino Evangelical Coalition and also the PICO National system.
While representing distinct organizations with various histories and methods, these faith businesses hold a provided conviction that Scripture speaks towards the dilemma of predatory lending — condemning usury and teaching us to respect the God-given dignity of every person and also to love our next-door next-door neighbors as opposed to exploit their monetary vulnerability. They believe that just lending is a matter of biblical morality and spiritual concern.
In the last several years, high-cost financing to those who work in need of assistance has increased dramatically. Significantly more than 20,000 payday and car-title loan shops operate nationwide. Benefiting from loopholes and a weakening of conventional usury regulations, a majority of these loan providers now provide loans at 300 % APR, leading to families being caught in a period of financial obligation. Faith just for Lending believes enough time has arrived to produce the stranglehold that predatory payday lending is wearing too numerous life in communities throughout the united states of america.
The coalition also released the next collection of maxims just for financing:
By using these concepts for only financing, the coalition is urging churches, loan providers, people and federal government every single do their component to show stewardship, offer responsible items, utilize credit sensibly, encourage simply lending and place a finish to predatory loans. The coalition is calling for a finish to your exploitation of households and families through the payday financial obligation trap.
Coalition users offered the next reflections in the problem of predatory payday lending:
Dr. Russell Moore, President, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission associated with Southern Baptist Convention, Nashville, Tenn. “Payday financing is a kind of financial predation and grinds the faces regarding the bad to the ground. As Christians, we have been called by Jesus, because of the prophets, and also by the apostles to take care of the indegent, independently, and in addition concerning the means social and governmental and business structures play a role in the misery associated with impoverished. Teams across this diverse coalition don’t acknowledge every problem into the general public square, but i’m very happy to come together with this problem to face against unchecked usury and work with financial justice, human being dignity and household stability.”
Galen Carey, Vice President for Government Relations, Nationwide Association of Evangelicals, Washington, D.C.
“Ethical financing is an honorable company, but ensnaring susceptible individuals with debt traps just isn’t. We truly need simply legal guidelines that meet genuine requirements while steering clear of the egregious abuses which are now committed by way too many payday loan providers.”
Rev. Dr. George Mason, Senior Pastor, Wilshire Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas (Cooperative Baptist Fellowship) “The usurious practices of payday loan providers certainly are a scourge upon the land. Exploiting the bad whilst pretending to provide them is a greedy and sinful business. Our company is contacting lawmakers to keep in mind that after virtue fails, laws and regulations are created to restrain evil and protect the vulnerable. Even people who believe highly in limited federal federal government understand the value of marketing fairness and sincerity available on the market.”
Rev. Dr. Willie Gable, Jr., Pastor, The Progressive Baptist Church, New Orleans, La., and Chairperson, Housing and Economic Commission, nationwide Baptist Convention, United States Of America, Inc. “Payday loans really are a sin in simple sight. The Bible warns against excessive interest. However in modern times, payday lenders have actually woven on their own in to the material of our areas and desired to persuade us that they are providing a site or an assisting hand towards the community. Just the reverse is true.”
Katie Thompson, Editor, Center for Public Justice, Washington, D.C. “Predatory payday financing is an obvious breach of human being dignity and also the Center for Public Justice is invested in placing a conclusion to it. We look ahead to dealing with the Faith just for Lending coalition and think these maxims just for lending affirm the unique functions that residents, federal government, churches and organizations can play to carry lasting modification.”
