Ohioans rank high in payday-loan-use study
7/21/2012About 1 in 10 Ohioans used payday loans in the past five years, according to a report released Friday by the Pew Charitable Trusts' Safe Small-Dollar Loans Research Project.
The figures are based on a survey that found 12 million Americans used a storefront or online payday loan in 2010.
It said Ohioans visit check-cashing stores and Web sites more than residents in all but three states — Missouri, Oklahoma, and Washington — for which sufficient survey results were available.
It also said states that prohibit check-cashing stores have lower rates of lending than those such as Ohio with less-restrictive laws.
Nationally, 5.5 percent of adults have used payday loans, mostly to cover everyday bills such as rent and utilities rather than unanticipated expenses, the study said.