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posted by martyb on Wednesday November 21 2018, @02:18PM   Printer-friendly
from the always-read-the-fine-print dept.

In a long article on Bloomberg News, but well worth the read:

How unscrupulous lenders have used an obscure legal document to wreck havoc against small businesses nationwide.

The lenders’ weapon of choice is an arcane legal document called a confession of judgment. Before borrowers get a loan, they have to sign a statement giving up their right to defend themselves if the lender takes them to court. It’s like an arbitration agreement, except the borrower always loses. Armed with a confession, a lender can, without proof, accuse borrowers of not paying and legally seize their assets before they know what’s happened. Not surprisingly, some lenders have abused this power. In dozens of interviews and court pleadings, borrowers describe lenders who’ve forged documents, lied about how much they were owed, or fabricated defaults out of thin air.

By seizing their bank deposits, Yellowstone had managed to collect its money ahead of schedule(60k on a 38k loan) and tack on $9,990 in extra legal fees, payable to a law firm in which it owns a stake. In about three months, the company and its affiliates almost doubled their money. At that rate of return, one dollar could be turned into 10 in less than a year.

Everyone else involved in the collection process got a slice, too. SunTrust got a $100 processing fee. Barbarovich’s office(NYC Marshal) got approximately $2,700, with about $120 of that passed along to the city. The Orange County Clerk’s office got $41 for its rubber stamps. The New York state court system got $184.

Cash-advance companies have secured more than 25,000 judgments in New York since 2012 worth an estimated $1.5 billion.

It sure explains why my small business gets a ton of loan/cash advance offers.

It should be noted that these letters have been prohibited in some states for over 50 years, and banned nationwide for consumers since 1984. (but even when banned by a state, they pursue it in a state where they are legal.)


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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday November 21 2018, @07:22PM

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Wednesday November 21 2018, @07:22PM (#764906)

    A loan is a bridge, to get you from your present cash-strapped state to a better state in the future where you are better off for having made a short term bad deal to get some money when you needed it with very good reason.

    I can imagine a case of a 60 year old man/couple with relatively high income wanting to take a loan to finance a vacation or boat or other life experience that they might become too old to enjoy by the time they've saved enough to pay for it outright.

    I can't possibly imagine a case where a high-end cell-phone or furniture suite could possibly justify the cost of financing it (vs the option of getting something of equivalent function for 1/4th the price or less...)

    Of course, leveraged business is the ultimate loan consumer - especially when a corporation takes the risk of the business not working out and forfeiting their assets to the creditors. Then you get things like vacation cabin and yacht financing that blur the lines between business and personal use... it's a messy world out there, lots of grey near the 50% value.

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