| Tue, 6 May 2008
UsuryOne of the few things that some religions have got right is condemning usury. I am appalled that ads like the one below (the link obviously doesn't go to the company in question) are legal. I'm even more appalled, of course, that there are people stupid enough to take them.
183.2%Fuck me with a pineapple! Or rather, fuck the idiots who take those loans with a pineaple, cos that's what they're going to get. I keep trying to get my mother to realise that there's a way out, but she is used to it now and she seems to like treating the weekly visits from the "Provvy lady" as those of a friend! She's not living alone... She doesn't have the required ID to open up her own bank account though, and it seems stupid to have to pay over \24360 for a new passport when she can't fly due to her heart condition, and she hasn't left the country since she went to France on a school trip! She's 60 now. It's also ridiculous to see the credit card rates increase despite the fact that we have NEGATIVE Bank of England base rates! They shouldn't be allowed to use the pathetic excuse that "costs are increasing" when it was their irresponsible lending that caused it in the first place! I joined my local credit union as a future safety net recently, though, and I was reassured by the fact that you have to prove your ability to pay into a savings account with them for at least 6 weeks, before you're able to take out a loan. They do have "emergency loans" though, and the APR is much more attractive than 180%+... Reminds me of the John Simms drama from 2000, Never Never (clip here). Posted by Marc on Fri, 17 Jul 2009 at 14:45:02 Sorry, this post is too old for you to comment on it.
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The Liberal in me thinks that banks and financial institutions should be regulated and forced to only lend sensible amounts to people who can actually afford to repay the loan. I hate rules and regulations but if the banks can't look after things properly - which they clearly can't - then someone else has to do it for them...
* Which is another story... and I'm not the one borrowing silly money.
Posted by Adam on Wed, 7 May 2008 at 23:59:25