DeSantis Declares War on Florida’s Predatory Loan Sharks

Florida’s locals may breathe a breath of fresh air as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signs a financial bill for consumer loans. How will this affect the residents of Florida, and will it truly benefit them?

New Bills, New Outlook 

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed the CH/HB 1347 Bill that promises better financial loan options for Florida’s locals who are repaying their loans. 

Motivation Behind the Bill 

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Politics Florida said that DeSantis is cracking down on loanshark online lenders. More legitimate lenders in the state will push out loanshark dominance to lend money to Floridians. 

Consumer Finance Loans Bill

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While DeSantis is set to bring more people to the sunny state of Florida, revising the current CH/HB1347 bill will help ease repayment rates. 

Inviting Legitimate Lenders to Florida 

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Senator Colleen Burton said “the legislation should encourage legitimate lenders to operate in the state while also providing appropriate consumer protections.” 

The Highest Rates for High-Risk Lenders

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According to Florida Politics, Burton also said that the highest interest rates should be applicable to the higher-risk lenders to safeguard the lender.

No Loanshark Lending

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The bill may increase the rates exponentially compared to the previous one, but it will allow lenders to lend larger amounts. At the same time, consumers will pay higher interest at a capped percent annually. In this way, the lender and the borrower win. 

Good and Challenging

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While the bill helps with a capped rate on loans, it also allows the loaning institution to charge higher interest, even up to 36%, for certain loan amounts.  

Loansharks Lend More 

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Loansharks online are often willing to lend more to people at massively high interest rates. Lenders are often desperate and turn to a loanshark to help ease a difficult financial situation. 

Meeting Halfway

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Florida’s governor doesn’t want locals supporting loansharks. Instead, the new bill provides a middle meeting point for the lender and borrower. 

Rules To Lending at High Interest Rates 

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Lenders are not allowed to exceed the interest rate cap for the year. In this way, borrowers will have less difficulty repaying their loans. 

What the Bill Implements 

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The new bill introduces various additions and revisions that give consumers a bit of extra leeway for their finances. This is in contrast to the previously signed bills. 

Capped Rates Increase 

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The DeSantis-signed Consumer Finance Loans Bill ensures consumers are not overcharged on rates for repaying their loans. Instead, the rate may be higher for the year, but it would be capped and not continue increasing beyond the capped percentage. 

Interest Rates 

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The lender can pay up to 36% rates on a $10,000 loan, while loans of $5,000 get a capped interest rate of up to 26%. Loans between $5,000 and $10,000 are charged at a rate up to 22%. 

Much More Than Before

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Previous caps introduced by the Florida Bill were lower than the present one. Lenders would pay up to 30% on the first $3,000, 24% on $3,000 to $4,000. Lenders pay even less when they lend more money. For instance, on a $4,000 to $25,000 loan, a rate of 18% was charged. 

Large Jump in Rates 

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Bigger loan amounts often equal higher rates, and in this case, the previous rate for a loan of $25,000 used to be at 19%; it has now increased to a massive 31%, according to Florida Politics. 

There’s More To Borrow 

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In the Consumer Finance Loans Bill, lenders can also increase how much they’re borrowing from $25,000 up to $50,000

Concerns for the Correct Percentage Rate

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Before the new bill was implemented, other heads of state, like Senator Jason Pizzo, a Democrat representing Miami, weren’t certain that 36% would be enough to make this legislation work. 

Highest Interests Are Online

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Senator Lori Berman of Daynton Beach also voiced her concern about too many lenders hooking lenders at exorbitant interest rates to repay their loans. 

Votes for the Bill

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According to Florida Politics, the overall vote for passing the bill was 104 – 10 in the House. 

Effective From July 1

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According to reports, the bill kicks off in full swing from July 1 this year and applies to Florida. 

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