There is a thin line between the legality and the illegality of online payday loans. There are several ways of determining whether the lender you’re trying to use is on the right side of the line. First, payday loans are illegal in some states. Even in states where they’re legal, the companies need a license to practice. There are single-state and multi-state licenses, and, as a potential borrower, you need to be vigilant in your research.
There are many payday loan lenders in the digital space and what they do is ensure that their headquarters are located in states where they’re unregulated. Several federal regulatory bodies ensure that lenders do not burden loan consumers with unnaturally high interest rates, hidden fees, and abusive debt collection practices.
Bodies/organizations like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Office of Fair Trading, and the Financial Conduct Authority perform these tasks. Many state and federal laws protect you as a borrower to ensure that companies do not take advantage of you.
The line is thin because you as a borrower may not know the laws and policies that protect you, and some unlawful online payday loan providers may skirt these laws.
There are red flags that are easy to identify when trying to gauge whether a company is legit. First, ensure that they are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. Look at the website installment loans in Alaska URL. A company with safety in mind will have “https” in its URL.
Second, ensure that there is a lock before the website’s URL in case “https” is absent. If the lock looks broken, then you should be suspicious. Are they mentioning any data protection practices? If so, read the fine print to ensure they detail what information they protect and how.
The website should also look well-thought-out and well presented. Professionalism is a crucial factor in legitimate companies. How do they advertise their products?
What are their contact details, and where is the company hosted? Continue reading “Q4. How can you verify that an online payday loan company is legit?”