Religious Leaders call for payday lending changes
[Excerpts]
A group of leaders from Oklahoma churches, nonprofits and Native American tribes called Tuesday for changes to the state's payday loan industry, which they say preys on poor people and often keeps them trapped in a cycle of debt.
The group Voices Organized for Civic Engagement, or VOICE, also urged Oklahomans to support proposed changes to federal rules that would impose new restrictions on the industry. . . .
"Predatory lending is pushing Oklahomans deeper and deeper into poverty," said Lori Walke, minister at Mayflower Congregational United Church of Christ in northwestern Oklahoma City and a member of VOICE. "Payday lenders target economically depressed Oklahomans, zeroing in on areas with high populations of the elderly, young adults, immigrants and lower-income households."