This paper considers interest rate caps, what is known about their use and impact in other jurisdictions, and how might they contribute to a fairer consumer credit regime in New Zealand.

The intractable maths of low income earners' family budgets pushes them towards the marginal credit products such as payday loans, consumer leases and debt management firms. This report argues that government can and should improve the terms under which these products are offered.

This report proposes a new scheme, ‘Social Emergency Lending,’ to help Australian households under financial stress borrow money at very low interest rates.

This report explores one aspect of the consumer credit sector: payday loans. Payday loans are a ‘fringe’ credit product, operating outside the mainstream credit sector. In this report they are defined as loans that are small (no more than $1,000 but typically less than $250) and short-term (usually with repayment periods of 30 days or...