A Wisconsin Tribe Built a Lending Empire Charging 600% Annual Rates to Borrowers

Little has changed since the 2021 Texas winter storm. Power outages following Beryl’s July landfall led to two deaths and roughly 400 Texans hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning.

A Wisconsin Tribe Built a Lending Empire Charging 600% Annual Rates to Borrowers

Reporting Highlights

  • 600% Online Loans: A Wisconsin tribe built a lending empire on high-interest lending, relying on its sovereign rights to avoid state interest rate caps.
  • Bankruptcies and Complaints: A ProPublica analysis found that the tribe’s companies are mentioned frequently in personal bankruptcies and consumer complaints.
  • Groundbreaking Settlement: A proposed class-action settlement involving the tribe’s officials promises to deliver extraordinary relief to borrowers, erasing over $1 billion in debt.

These highlights were written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.

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