Predatory Lending in Russia: Survey Data

Predatory Lending

This paper studies the equilibrium predatory practices that may arise when the borrowers have behavioral weaknesses. Rational lenders offer short term contracts that can be renewed at the cost of paying a penalty fee. We show how the optimal contracts depend on the degree of näıveté of the time inconsistent customers. Penalty fees have a dual role : they increase market share by providing a use...

Defining and Detecting Predatory Lending

We define predatory lending as a welfare-reducing provision of credit. Using a textbook model, we show that lenders profit if they can tempt households into “debt traps,” that is, overborrowing and delinquency. We then test whether payday lending fits our definition of predatory. We find that in states with higher payday loan limits, less educated households and households with uncertain income...

Predatory Lending in a Rational World

Regulators express growing concern over “predatory lending,” which we take to mean lending that reduces the expected utility of borrowers. We present a rational model of consumer credit in which such lending is possible and we identify the circumstances in which it arises with and without competition. Predatory lending is associated with imperfect competition, highly collateralized loans and po...

A Behavioral Analysis of Predatory Lending

Subprime Market Growth and Predatory Lending

This article provides an overview of two core issues related to subprime market growth and predatory lending. Two general issues were addressed. First, the rapid growth of subprime lending in minority neighborhoods has raised questions concerning the absence of prime conventional lenders in these neighborhoods. There is evidence that more competition by prime lenders could lower the borrowing c...