Google Will Ban Payday Loan Ads

Hawaii legislators killed bills to reign in high interest rates and increase regulation of the local payday loan industry.

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Google has announced that it will stop showing advertisements for payday loan companies in response to concerns from consumer advocacy groups.

USA Today reported that people will still be able to find payday loans by searching Google, but ads won’t pop up on the top or right side of the webpage after July 13.

The announcement is the latest development in a national pushback against the payday loan industry, which has been criticized for luring poor people into debt traps. But the trend hasn’t gotten any traction in Hawaii.

The payday loan industry has exploded in Hawaii where wages are low and the cost of living is high.
The payday loan industry has exploded in Hawaii where wages are low and the cost of living is high. Screenshot

The Legislature killed two bills this year that sought to increase enforcement of existing laws and cap the 459 annual percentage interest rate.

Searching for “payday loan Hawaii” currently returns over half a million results on Google. The Aloha State legalized the payday loan industry in 1999, and now has one of the most permissive laws in the country.

While the loans are supposed to be repaid within two weeks, national research shows more than 80 percent of payday loans are renewed and it generally takes about five months for consumers to pay back their loans and associated fees.

Click here to read Civil Beat’s previous coverage of this issue.

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