Fighting RALS

Fighting Refund Anticipation Loans

RALS are high-cost loans on tax refunds targeted at low-income families
Refund Anticipation Loans drain the assets of those least able to afford high fees. What's more, most RALs go
hand in hand with the Earned Income Tax Credit. The EITC is an excellent program, but RALs thwart its
inspired and well-implemented mission to reward work and support low-income households.

Our partners in the fight on the national level.

• National Consumer Law Center
• (http://www.consumerlaw.org/)

• Americans for Fairness in Lending
• (http://www.affil.org/)

• California Reinvestment Coalition
• (http://www.calreinvest.org/)

• Federal Reserve

CRA-NC regularly provides research on RALs.

Testing and Papers on RAL take ups in North Carolina
• Tax Preparers Take a Bite our of Refunds: Mystery Shopper Test Exposes Refund Anticipation llllLoan Abuses
in Durham and Philadelphia
• 2006 RAL Report
• CRANC Comment Letter
• RAL Usage prevalent in Low Income Zones (MAP)
• Refund Anticipation Loan Offices in North Carolina (MAP)
• RAL Usage Often Highest in Minority Zip Codes (MAP)

Our allies in the fight on a statewide level.
NC Justice Center
NC Saves
EITC Coalition
NC NAACP
North Carolina Department of Labor
The City of Durham
The County of Durham
The North Carolina IDA Collaborative