Recently another new dynamic in our industry has surfaced and this is reminder that as a small business owner in the payday loan-cash advance-installment loan industry, everyone on your team needs to continually study and learn customer behaviors. 

What is this new dynamic? It is the borrower habit of switching their debit card “on” “off” by logging into their bank account, and with the click of a button, they lock out any charges from occurring to that card number.     

By switching off the debit card number, consumers are given a tool to protect themselves from unauthorized charges which is a good thing.  But it does lock out authorized charges as well.  Once the consumer has located a lost card or perhaps successfully evaded authorized charges (mostly during the pay-date starting early in the a.m. and going all hours that due date of the authorized charge) then they can switch the card back “on” begin using it again.   

This tool that consumers have been armed with is similar to the red flag behavior of withdrawing all of the recently direct deposited pay the moment it hits their bank account, which has long been a warning sign of a consumer who does not want to make their payments.

What Consumer Advocates rarely want to focus on is how many borrowers default, or who evade, outthink, and delay making on-time payments.  This problem is directly correlated to the higher APR’s in our industry which are set where they are, to offset defaulted loan costs.  Defaulted loans are not good for anyone and for the small business owners in Texas it is a constant concern.  Hoping that sharing this recent observation will assist you and your team in your ongoing education in our industry today!

Banks that feature the “turn card on / off function that we have tracked so far: 

• Chase.
• RBFCU.
• Abilene Teachers FCU.
• Austin Telco.
• University of FCU.
• Wells Fargo.

This blog post was written by Michael Brown, President of CAB Consulting and the Texas Organization of Financial Service Centers.  He can be reached at 214-293-8676, or Michael@CreditAccessBusiness.com.