Loans.org Explains why Payday Loan Lenders Donate to Politics

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Like big oil and tobacco companies, payday loan lenders and industry representatives face a media-induced onslaught whenever an election takes place. Instead of leaving the mudslinging to politicians, reporters from all different publications dig into the political contributions made by the short-term lending industry. But according to http://loans.org, these lenders appear not to be taking advantage of our election system, but instead are simply participating in the democratic process just like everybody else.

Advance America and Financial Service Centers of America (FiSCA) both weighed in on their part in the campaign contribution arena.

"Advance America is no different than any other company," said Jamie Fulmer, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at Advance America, in an interview with loans.org. "We participate in the political process just like anyone else. We think it is important we have the ability to express our perspectives and concerns."

Cindy Vega with FiSCA told loans.org that any and all campaign contributions made by FiSCA are done in full accordance with the law.

Despite these careful and law-abiding practices, these two groups are part of an industry that gets hounded for their so-called "unethical" contributions. However, according to the American League of Lobbyists Code of Ethics, "Lobbying is an integral part of our nation's democratic process and is a constitutionally guaranteed right." Nowhere does that Code of Ethics bar the payday loan industry from partaking in this right.

Source: http://www.alldc.org/ethicscode.cfm

But even when critics look past the dollar amount donated by the short-term lending industry, they often get hung up on "party lines," insisting that one party receives more money than another.

"FiSCA's concerns and issues are bipartisan. FiSCA's goal is to educate lawmakers on both sides of the aisle about how laws and regulation could impact their constitutions," said Vega. "[We] support elected officials who understand the critical role our industry plays in the daily lives of millions of consumers."

For those interested in the full article, please visit http://loans.org/payday/articles/in-trenches-lending-war. More information about the payday loan industry, including articles, news, frequently asked questions, and loan applications, can be found at http://loans.org/payday.

SOURCE Loans Org, LLC