by Christian Whittle | Feb 11, 2016 | Mercatus Center Publications
Conversations about consumer credit often reflect utopian visions of the world. Many people imagine that a few tweaks to regulations can ensure that everyone has the money needed to feed, clothe, and shelter the family. According to this logic, if households need to...
by Christian Whittle | Oct 13, 2015 | Mercatus Center Publications
Although life insurance agents and lenders provide socially important products, few people get lively when thinking about them. Fewer still get excited about lenders who also sell life insurance on loans. While few people have even heard of an important insurance...
by Christian Whittle | Aug 4, 2015 | Mercatus Center Publications
Consumer advocates, regulators, and legislators must stand courageously and do what the far-sighted reformers did 100 years ago: allow for much higher interest rates on small-dollar loans. The cost to consumers is low. A 108% APR on a $300, 12-month installment loan...
by Christian Whittle | Feb 2, 2015 | Mercatus Center Publications
President Barack Obama recently opined that he would like “to see the first two years of community college free for everybody who is willing to work for it.” This important proposal from the president’s State of the Union Address has already gained support from Dr....
by Christian Whittle | Jun 27, 2014 | Mercatus Center Publications
Access to a bank account is a liberty enjoyed by many Americans. People can freely choose whether to allocate the money necessary to have an account. If they don’t want to pay – or cannot pay – the going price for having a bank account, they...
