California Teams-Up with Internet Search Engines to Block Unlicensed Payday Lender Advertising

Payday Lending

On April 7, the California Department of Business Oversight announced a new initiative to prevent unlicensed payday lenders from advertising on major Internet search engines, including Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo. In the announcement, DBO Commissioner Jan Lynn Owen labeled unlicensed online payday lenders as “one of the most significant consumer protection threats” to California consumers and stated that curbing advertising of unlicensed lenders is vital to protect vulnerable borrowers from paying unlawful fees. Under the initiative, once the DBO issues a final cease and desist order against an unlicensed online lender, the DBO will notify Internet companies which will in turn block the lenders’ ads.