Banks counter assumptions about loan programs

Larger financial institutions have recently attempted to involve themselves in the short term lending business, offering loans with alternative names and lower interest rates for individuals and families in need, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. In St. Louis, three banks - U.S. Bank, Regions Bank and Fifth Third bank - are offering the loan programs. The institutions typically charge $10 for every $100 they lend, according to the Missouri Division of Finance. However, Columbia Representative Mary Still doesn't believe these loans - from banks or otherwise - carry any benefits. "If you don't have $300 on Tuesday, you won't have $345 in two weeks," Still told the news source. The Center for Responsible Lending recently reported that the typical borrower takes out 16 loans and stays in debt for 175 days a year. In addition, 44 percent of a customer's next deposit goes toward paying off the loan. However, Fifth Third claimed that its lendees aren't destitute. Most are "middle-class people" with family incomes of more than $54,000. People's World reported that protesters recently gathered outside Wells Fargo, another large institution that offers versions of short term loans. Their demands included an end to predatory short term lending.