For a fee, residents can go to any number of local payday lending offices for a short-term loan to get help get them to the next pay check. Caught in the middle are state lawmakers, who have proposed legislation to regulate the payday lending industry and plan to tackle the issue again next year. The number of payday lending offices in Ohio has grown from 107 in 1996 to 1,562 in 2006, according to a report from the Policy Matters Ohio, a nonprofit Cleveland based research group, and the Housing Research and Advocacy Center. A survey of court records shows First Check Cash Advance, which has two offices in Mount Vernon, has been named as the plaintiff in 411 civil cases relating to payday loans since 2001. Thom Collier said state lawmakers have been discussing legislation that would regulate the payday lending industry in Ohio, and plan to continue the discussion in the coming year. read more

Filed in: Cash Advance