This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

I wish we could take credit for this:

— Google will stop carrying payday lending ads — Ken Sweet | Associated Press | Salt Lake Tribune

"Internet giant Google said Wednesday it will ban all ads from payday lenders, calling the industry 'deceptive' and 'harmful.'

"Google's decision could have as much or even more impact on curtailing the industry than any move by politicians, as many payday loans start with a desperate person searching online for ways to make ends meet or cover an emergency. ..."

But I can't prove that the digital search engine overlords read this:

— Payday loans are no gift — Salt Lake Tribune Editorial, Dec. 23, 2015

"This Christmas Eve, chances are high that, not far from where you are sitting all cozy and warm, a young woman on the verge of giving birth and her devoted fiancé are lost and alone, searching for a place to stay.

"In the urban areas of Utah, the inns may be full or, for many, their prices out of reach. Stables and mangers, meanwhile, are in short supply.

"So, instead of taking refuge among oxen, sheep and the odd drummer boy, our Joe and Mary may find themselves at the door of one of the growing number of payday-lending operations that have proliferated in this state. There, perhaps in exchange for nothing more than a signature on a promissory note, the new family may get the cash they need for a few nights in a motel, or even a deposit on a small apartment.

"It might seem to them like the perfect Christmas gift. But it won't have come from three wise men. And, if they don't pay the loan back soon, with exorbitant interest charges, it will be more like dealing with a less violent version of the mob's wiseguys. People who don't break your kneecaps with a hammer, but ruin your finances with a lawsuit.

"Instead of the Inn in Bethlehem, it becomes the Hotel California. You can check out any time you want, but you can never leave. ..."

Kind of a long sample, there. But I'm really proud of that one.

Elseweb:

— Christians see predatory lending as sinful — Bob Smietana / The Baptist Standard

"Self-identified Christians in 30 states — from Alabama to Wyoming — say it's a sin to lend money to someone who can't afford to pay it back. ..."

— Big Banks Want To Take The Sting Out Of Payday Loans. Predatory Lenders Are Not Happy About It — Alan Pyke | Think Progress

— Payday Loans: The Worst Abuse Is Not Regulated — Jack M. Guttentag | Huffington Post

— Prevent a shark attack by avoiding payday loans — Michelle Singletary | The Washington Post

— Payday Lending: Will Anything Better Replace It? — Bethany McLean | The Atlantic

"The practice is slowly being regulated out of existence. But it's unclear where low-income Americans will find short-term loans instead. ..."