Payday lender donations to politicians and political campaigns.

Payday lender donations to politicians and political campaigns


Updated March 2016 - Alex Glorioso (Open Secrets)

Payday lenders are financial firms offering small, short-term loans designed to be paid back when the borrower next receives a paycheck. Such loans carry interest rates that seem small but are extremely high when calculated over the course of a year. Payday loan firms argue that they provide necessary credit to consumers who might otherwise not be able to get loans, but critics allege that the loans place many borrowers in a cycle of high-interest debt.
Among the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act passed by Congress after the 2008 financial crisis were new restrictions on predatory lending to American consumers. The new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has attempted to regulate the practices of the payday lending industry, though its efforts have been somewhat controversial. [Read more Background]

Party Split:	Dems: Repubs: Others:  $209,037  $588,806  $0
All Candidates:	$797,843
Incumbents Only:	$741,081

House	# of Members	Average Contribution	Total Contributions
Democrats	21	$8,852	$185,900
Republicans	57	$6,676	$380,561
Independents	0	$0	$0
TOTAL	78	$7,262	$566,461

Top Contributors, 2015-2016

(Move your cursor over the chart to see dollar amounts.)
Contributor	Amount
Amscot Financial	$115,600
Advance America Cash Advance Centers	$107,900
Financial Service Centers of America	$88,250
Cash Express LLC	$83,600
QC Holdings	$79,100
Community Financial Services Assn	$76,000
Check Into Cash	$74,200
Ace Cash Express	$65,140
Checksmart Financial	$64,000
Dmp Investments	$50,250
Ohio Consumer Lenders Assn	$50,000
Online Lenders Alliance	$40,000
PLS Financial Services	$38,417
Jones Management Services	$25,750
Moneytree Inc	$11,500
Think Finance	$9,711
Community Loans of America	$9,500
Rebs Inc	$7,700
Check City	$6,500
Enova International	$6,025

Contributions to: 
Democrats 
Republicans 
Liberal Groups 
Conservative Groups 

Presidential Candidates

Rank	Candidate	Amount
1	Bush, Jeb (R)	$20,400
2	Rubio, Marco (R)	$13,950
3	Clinton, Hillary (D)	$6,245
4	Kasich, John (R)	$2,700
5	Fiorina, Carly (R)	$1,500
6	Cruz, Ted (R)	$1,195
7	Sanders, Bernie (D)	$175

Top 20 Senators

Rank	Candidate	Amount
1	Shelby, Richard C (R-AL)	$82,700
2	Toomey, Pat (R-PA)	$22,700
3	Rubio, Marco (R)	$13,950
4	Sasse, Ben (R-NE)	$8,500
5	Corker, Bob (R-TN)	$7,300
6	Ayotte, Kelly (R-NH)	$5,000
6	Vitter, David (R-LA)	$5,000
8	Portman, Rob (R-OH)	$3,700
9	McConnell, Mitch (R-KY)	$3,500
9	Brown, Sherrod (D-OH)	$3,500
9	Scott, Tim (R-SC)	$3,500
9	Graham, Lindsey (R-SC)	$3,500
13	Heller, Dean (R-NV)	$2,500
13	Burr, Richard (R-NC)	$2,500
13	Crapo, Mike (R-ID)	$2,500
16	Gardner, Cory (R-CO)	$2,000
17	Cruz, Ted (R)	$1,195
18	Cotton, Tom (R-AR)	$1,000
18	Johnson, Ron (R-WI)	$1,000
18	Menendez, Robert (D-NJ)	$1,000
18	Blunt, Roy (R-MO)	$1,000
18	Moran, Jerry (R-KS)	$1,000

Top 20 House Candidates

Rank	Candidate	Amount
1	Hastings, Alcee L (D-FL)	$40,200
2	Stivers, Steve (R-OH)	$40,000
3	Yoder, Kevin (R-KS)	$36,800
4	Duffy, Sean P (R-WI)	$30,400
5	Jenkins, Lynn (R-KS)	$28,900
6	Scalise, Steve (R-LA)	$25,500
7	Black, Diane (R-TN)	$25,300
8	Crenshaw, Ander (R-FL)	$24,000
9	Sinema, Kyrsten (D-AZ)	$21,500
10	Hensarling, Jeb (R-TX)	$15,300
11	Cardenas, Tony (D-CA)	$15,000
12	Scott, David (D-GA)	$14,500
13	Poliquin, Bruce (R-ME)	$11,249
14	Moore, Gwen (D-WI)	$10,500
15	Meeks, Gregory W (D-NY)	$10,000
15	Brown, Corrine (D-FL)	$10,000
17	Fleischmann, Chuck (R-TN)	$9,800
18	Gowdy, Trey (R-SC)	$9,500
19	Luetkemeyer, Blaine (R-MO)	$9,000
20	McCarthy, Kevin (R-CA)	$8,500