Eye on the Right

Oregon made significant progress this year cracking down on predatory lending. But it's important to look back at the opposition these measures ran into. The Chair of the Commerce Committee, through which the bills passed said lobbyists and those within the industry pushed him to drop the bill, unsurprisingly. However, in an unexpected twist, he also received opposition from payday loan customers. It turns out some customers were pressured to voice opposition to the bill, or were lead to believe their loan applications wouldn't be approved if they did not participate. Sadly, we shouldn't be surprised considering the tactics of payday lenders. Hopefully, similar pushes in other states will be watched more closely for undue influence.