ATLANTA
(Legal Newsline) — Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced Feb. 8 that
Western Sky Financial LLC, CashCall Inc. and related entities have agreed to pay $40
million in monetary relief to Georgia consumers.
The
defendants allegedly sold more than 18,000 loans to borrowers in Georgia at astronomical
interest rates that ranged from 140 percent to 340 percent. Since 2010 the defendants
have racked up $32 million in interest and fees from those 18,000 consumers, the state says.
On
Oct. 31, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that out-of-state internet
lenders must abide by the state’s Payday Lending Act when dealing with
consumers in the state. Under Georgia’s laws, lenders cannot make loans under
$3,000 unless they are licensed under Georgia or federal law. For such loans,
lenders cannot charge interest rates of higher than 10 percent.
“This settlement sends a strong message that our office will
not tolerate unscrupulous lenders who prey on consumers by charging illegal
interest and fees,” Carr said.
“Our team has been working diligently
on this case since 2013, and we are proud that we were able to stop on-going
collection efforts and provide refunds of illegally charged interest and fees
to our citizens. This case should serve as a major warning for those looking to
violate the laws designed to protect our Georgia consumers.”
Handling
the case for Georgia was counsel for legal policy Timothy Butler along with
assistant attorneys general Charlene Swartz, Monica Sullivan and Andrew
Chesser.