The Real Costs of Credit Access: Evidence from the Payday Lending Market∗

Usinggeographicdifferences intheavailabilityof paydayloans, I estimatethe real effects of credit access among low-income households. Payday loans are small, highinterest rate loans that constitutethemarginal sourceof credit formanyhigh risk borrowers. I find no evidence that payday loans alleviate economic hardship. Tothecontrary, loanaccess leads toincreaseddifficultypayingmortgage, rent and utilities bills. The empirical design isolates variation in loan access that is uninfluenced by lenders’ location decisions and state regulatory decisions, two factors that might otherwise correlate with economic hardship measures. Further analysis of differences in loan availability—over time and across income groups—rules out a number of alternative explanations for the estimated effects. Counter to the view that improving credit access facilitates important expenditures, the results suggest that for some low-income households the debt service burden imposed by borrowing inhibits their ability to pay important bills. JEL Codes: D14, G2.