Member login
American Financial Services Association

Traditional Installment Loans: Delivering High-Quality Credit for 100 Years+

Traditional Installment Loans: Delivering High-Quality Credit for 100 Years+

The American Banker reported on Sunday (July 19) what AFSA has been saying for years – banks aren’t making, and don’t want to make, small-dollar loans.

In the article, Uncertainty About CFPB Has Banks Leery of Small-dollar Lending, author Kate Berry writes that despite the fact that the Trump administration has urged banks and credit unions to compete in the small-dollar lending space and to offer more credit options to consumers, banks remain wary of offering small-dollar credit products.

The prudential regulators have issued guidance encouraging banks to embrace small-dollar lending; the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) approved a process for banks to offer loans or lines of credit for amounts up to $2,500; yet, banks still see this space as filled with risk.

AFSA’s message to the prudential regulators and the CFPB has been that this market is already well-served. Delivering high-quality, affordable small-dollar loans to millions of consumers is what traditional installment lenders have been doing for more than a century.

While banks have noted time and time again that they are not necessarily structured to offer these products, traditional installment lenders have a long and successful track record offering these products to consumers nationwide.

Instead of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, we encourage regulators to recognize that high-quality, small-dollar lending products already exist.

July 21st, 2020

Get The News You Need

Sign up for our daily newsletter to receive all the most important industry news and updates every weekday morning.

Recent Posts

Archives