Short term loan companies thriving in down economy

Short term loan stores, while illegal in many states, still conduct a bountiful amount of business as the economic downward shift has left more people unbanked or underbanked. Len Gordon of the Federal Trade Commission cautions potential short term loanees to tread carefully if they decide to take out a loan, NY1 reports. Gordon notes that that prior to entering a store, consumers should look over the lender's terms and conditions, and also do everything possible to pay on time. "Frequently, consumers find that they can't pay off their short term loan, and as a result they have to roll that loan over," Gordon told the news source. "When they do that they get another fee, sometimes which is very substantial for that loan, and they end up doing that again and again, the snowball keeps rolling down the hill and it gets bigger and bigger." Consumers' inability to pay on time has led to increased profits for short term loan companies, as well as bumped up share totals. The Wall Street Journal reports that share prices for Fort Worth, Texas-based Cash America are up 49 percent this year. Arlington-based First Cash Financial is up 40 percent, while Berwyn, Pennsylvania-based DFC Global is up 18 percent.