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Debt

What Americans Owe and Why

A Wisconsin Tribe Built a Lending Empire Charging 600% Annual Rates to Borrowers

The Lac du Flambeau tribe is at the center of a $1 billion class-action settlement that comes after years of fending off claims of predatory lending practices.

by Megan O’Matz and Joel Jacobs,

The Title Pawn Trap

TitleMax Demands High-Interest Payments From Borrowers in Bankruptcy

In Georgia, borrowers looking to alleviate debt through Chapter 13 bankruptcy can’t escape their high-interest title pawns thanks to a legal loophole that TitleMax helped secure.

by Margaret Coker, The Current, and Joel Jacobs and Mollie Simon, ProPublica, illustrations by Laila Milevski, special to ProPublica,

Local Reporting Network

The Title Pawn Trap

How We Measured the Title Lending Industry in Georgia

No statewide agency monitors Georgia’s high-interest title lenders, so we used a variety of data sources to reveal the scope of the industry and its impact on customers who file for bankruptcy.

by Joel Jacobs, ProPublica, and Margaret Coker, The Current,

Local Reporting Network

Disaster After Disaster

Thousands of Katrina Survivors Were Freed From Debt to the State. Those Who Already Paid Are Out of Luck.

The state said it was no longer suing residents who had improperly used hurricane recovery money. That doesn’t change anything for the 425 who already paid.

by Richard A. Webster, Verite News, and David Hammer, WWL-TV,

Local Reporting Network

Featured Reporters

Margaret Coker
Portrait of Kiah Collier Kiah Collier
Portrait of Haru Coryne Haru Coryne
Portrait of Jeff Ernsthausen Jeff Ernsthausen
Brittany Freeman
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Portrait of Paul Kiel Paul Kiel
Portrait of Jeremy Kohler Jeremy Kohler
Portrait of Melissa Sanchez Melissa Sanchez
Portrait of Mollie Simon Mollie Simon

Impact of Our Reporting
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Ohio Lawmakers Seek Strict Rules for “Clean Energy” Lending

A statewide clean-energy lending program in Ohio stalled last year before making any loans. Lawmakers want to add consumer protections in case the program resurfaces.

by Jeremy Kohler,

Michigan’s Largest Utility Faces Pushback on Debt Sales and Shut-Offs as Company Asks for Rate Hike

As DTE Energy pushes for a rate increase, the state is taking a closer look at its sale of customer debt to collection agencies. The company’s use of shut-offs and response to outages are also drawing criticism.

by Emily Hopkins,

Local Reporting Network

Driven Into Debt

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Proposes Further Traffic Ticket Reforms to Help Low-Income Motorists

In 2018, ProPublica reported on how vehicle tickets in Chicago disproportionately harm low-income, Black residents. This latest set of reforms proposes lowering ticket costs and providing debt relief for low-income residents.

by Melissa Sanchez,

Series

Series: The Title Pawn Trap: High-Interest Title Lending in Georgia

Series: Homeowner Hell: Investigating Colorado’s Unregulated Homeowners Associations

Series: Disaster After Disaster: Growing Storms, Faltering Aid

Series: Coming to Collect: Investigating Public Housing in Annapolis

Series: Financial Aid Loophole: Giving Up Guardianship to Get Aid

Series: The Bad Bet: How Illinois Bet on Video Gambling and Lost

Series: Driven Into Debt: How Tickets Burden the Poor

Series: Too Broke for Bankruptcy: How Bankruptcy Fails Those Who Need It Most

Series: Debt Inc.: Lending and Collecting in America

Series: Foreclosure Crisis: How Banks and Government Fail Homeowners

142 stories published since 2015

The Powerful Forces Keeping High Interest Title Lending Alive in Georgia

by Margaret Coker, The Current, and Mollie Simon, ProPublica,

Are Colorado’s Efforts to Curb HOA Foreclosures Working?

by Brittany Freeman, Rocky Mountain PBS, data analysis by Sophie Chou, ProPublica,

HOA Foreclosures Are a “Lose-Lose” Game for Coloradans, but These Lawyers Win Regardless of the Outcome

by Brittany Freeman, Rocky Mountain PBS, data analysis by Sophie Chou, ProPublica,

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Fines TitleMax $15 Million for Predatory Lending

by Margaret Coker, The Current,

Inside the Controversial Sales Practices of the Nation’s Biggest Title Lender

by Margaret Coker, The Current,

How Title Lending Works

by Margaret Coker, The Current, and Mollie Simon and Joel Jacobs, ProPublica,

How Title Lenders Trap Poor Americans in Debt With Triple-Digit Interest Rates

by Margaret Coker, The Current, and Joel Jacobs, ProPublica, with research by Mollie Simon, ProPublica,

Ohio Lawmakers Seek Strict Rules for “Clean Energy” Lending

by Jeremy Kohler,

Michigan’s Largest Utility Faces Pushback on Debt Sales and Shut-Offs as Company Asks for Rate Hike

by Emily Hopkins,

Colorado Legislature Passes HOA Foreclosure Reform Bill

by Brittany Freeman, Rocky Mountain PBS,

Colorado HOA Foreclosure Reform Legislation Moves Forward

by Brittany Freeman, Rocky Mountain PBS,

They Faced Foreclosure Not From Their Mortgage Lender, but From Their HOA

by Brittany Freeman, Rocky Mountain PBS, with data analysis by Sophie Chou and research by Mariam Elba, ProPublica,

A Return to Robo-Signing: JPMorgan Chase Has Unleashed a Lawsuit Blitz on Credit Card Customers

by Patrick Rucker, The Capitol Forum,

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Proposes Further Traffic Ticket Reforms to Help Low-Income Motorists

by Melissa Sanchez,

Loan Forgiveness for Disabled Borrowers Was 10 Years in the Making

by Stephen Engelberg,

The Education Department Will Forgive $5.8 Billion in Student Loans for Disabled Borrowers

by Sasha Chavkin,

Cities in Ohio Want to Use the Same Clean-Energy Financing Company That Saddled Missouri Homeowners With Debt

by Jeremy Kohler,

Some Hospitals Kept Suing Patients Over Medical Debt Through the Pandemic

by Jenny Deam,

Missouri Lawmakers Approve Reforms to Controversial Clean-Energy Loan Program

by Jeremy Kohler and Haru Coryne,

Clean-Energy Loans Trapped Black Homeowners in Debt. The Legislature Just Started Trying to Fix the Problem.

by Jeremy Kohler and Haru Coryne,

State-Supported “Clean Energy” Loans Are Putting Borrowers at Risk of Losing Their Homes

by Jeremy Kohler and Haru Coryne,

There’s Only One State Where Falling Behind on Rent Could Mean Jail Time. That Could Change.

by Maya Miller and Ellis Simani, ProPublica, and Benjamin Hardy, Arkansas Nonprofit News Network,

Feds Investigating Lender That Sued Thousands of Lower-Income Latinos During Pandemic

by Kiah Collier and Ren Larson,

Thousands of Illinois Drivers Would Get Their Licenses Back Under a Criminal Justice Reform Bill

by Melissa Sanchez,

Donald Trump Built a National Debt So Big (Even Before the Pandemic) That It’ll Weigh Down the Economy for Years

by Allan Sloan, ProPublica, and Cezary Podkul for ProPublica,

A Lender Sued Thousands of Lower-Income Latinos During the Pandemic. Now It Wants to Be a National Bank.

by Kiah Collier and Ren Larson,

JPMorgan Chase Bank Wrongly Charged 170,000 Customers Overdraft Fees. Federal Regulators Refused to Penalize It.

by Patrick Rucker, The Capitol Forum,

The Pandemic Hasn’t Stopped This School District From Suing Parents Over Unpaid Textbook Fees

by Ellis Simani, ProPublica, and Kim Kilbride, South Bend Tribune,

New Bill Proposes Stopping Unemployment Agencies That Make Mistakes From Demanding Money Back

by Ava Kofman,

Nonprofit Hospital Almost Never Gave Discounts to Poor Patients During Collections, Documents Show

by Wendi C. Thomas, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism,

An illustration of a woman climbing staircases and navigating screens.

A Guide to Navigating the Texas Unemployment System During the Coronavirus Pandemic

by Sally Beauvais, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, and Mitchell Ferman, The Texas Tribune,

The Fed Saved the Economy but Is Threatening Trillions of Dollars Worth of Middle-Class Retirement

by Allan Sloan,

Help Us Investigate Collection Practices at Virginia Colleges and Universities

by Megan Pauly, Virginia Public Media,

Debt Collectors Have Made a Fortune This Year. Now They’re Coming for More.

by Paul Kiel and Jeff Ernsthausen,

What Happens After a Debt Collection Machine Grinds to a Halt

by Wendi C. Thomas, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism,

La empresa prestamista que demandó a miles de latinos de bajos ingresos durante la pandemia

por Kiah Collier, Ren Larson y Perla Trevizo,

Cómo determinamos cuántas demandas de cobranza de adeudos presentó Oportun Inc. durante la pandemia

por Ren Larson y Kiah Collier,

The Loan Company That Sued Thousands of Low-Income Latinos During the Pandemic

by Kiah Collier, Ren Larson and Perla Trevizo,

How We Found Out How Many Debt Collection Lawsuits Oportun Inc. Filed During the Pandemic

by Ren Larson and Kiah Collier,

She Was Sued Over Rent She Didn’t Owe. It Took Seven Court Dates to Prove She Was Right.

by Danielle Ohl, Capital Gazette, and Talia Buford and Beena Raghavendran, ProPublica,

Demandaron a miles de prestatarios durante la pandemia, hasta que comenzamos a hacer preguntas

por Kiah Collier y Ren Larson,

They Sued Thousands of Borrowers During the Pandemic — Until We Started Asking Questions

by Kiah Collier and Ren Larson,

The Eviction Ban Worked, but It’s Almost Over. Some Landlords Are Getting Ready.

by Jeff Ernsthausen and Ellis Simani,

Capital One and Other Debt Collectors Are Still Coming for Millions of Americans

by Paul Kiel and Jeff Ernsthausen,

These Hospitals Pinned Their Hopes on Private Management Companies. Now They’re Deeper in Debt.

by Brianna Bailey, The Frontier,

This Treasury Official Is Running the Bailout. It’s Been Great for His Family.

by Justin Elliott, Lydia DePillis and Robert Faturechi,

This Billionaire Governor’s Been Sued Over Unpaid Bills. A Judge Just Ordered Him to Pay More.

by Ken Ward Jr., ProPublica, and Alex Mierjeski for ProPublica,

A hand clutching a stack of money and a surgical mask.

A Closer Look at Federal COVID Contractors Reveals Inexperience, Fraud Accusations and a Weapons Dealer Operating Out of Someone’s House

by Ryan Gabrielson, Lydia DePillis, J. David McSwane and Derek Willis, ProPublica, and Connor Sheets, AL.com,

The Billionaire Governor Who’s Been Sued Dozens of Times for Millions in Unpaid Bills

by Ken Ward Jr., ProPublica, and Alex Mierjeski for ProPublica,

See Who’s Taken Gov. Jim Justice to Court Over Unpaid Bills

by Ken Ward Jr., ProPublica, and Alex Mierjeski for ProPublica,