Colorado Payday Loan Law and Legislation
Payday lending is legal in Colorado.
Colorado imposes a $500 amount limit on payday loans (deferred deposit loans) offered in the state. The amount of all outstanding loans of a borrower should not exceed $500 at one given time. Payday loans can be taken for the period starting from 180 days and longer. The finance charge must not exceed an annual percentage rate of 36%. Criminal actions in all cases are prohibited.
Before February 2019, Colorado had very lenient terms for payday lending. They had one unsuccessful attempt to introduce better regulations to the industry in 2007 and then a more successful one in 2010.
Now everything was changed: interest rates were limited at 36 percent.
As of February 1, 2019, the new law (Proposition 111) came into effect. It didn’t make payday loan practice illegal, however, from now on all lenders wishing to operate in the state are required to comply with 36% APR cap. Such a restrictive measure is likely to be the beginning of the end of the
Colorado Payday Lending Statutes
It is regulated by the corresponding laws such as Article 3.1 (Deferred Deposit Loan Act) of Title 5 (Consumer Credit Code) in Colo. Rev. Stat. 5-3.1-101 et seq.
Loan Amount in Colorado
- In the state of Colorado, a consumer is allowed to take several loans (there is no set limit) but the outstanding loan amount should not exceed $500 and there should be a cooling-off period of 30 days between loans.
- The maximum amount is $500 (total) that can be given for no shorter than 6 months.
Rates, Fees and Other charges in Colorado
- No more than 36% can be charged for any short loan:
origination fee – up to 20% of the first $300 loan, plus 7.5% of any amount above $300 loan;
maintenance fee up to $30 per month - No penalty for early repayment.
Real APR for payday loans in Colorado can reach 36%.
The Maximum Term for a Payday Loan in Colorado
- No max loan term
- The min loan term – 6 months (Colo. Rev. Stat. 5-3.1-101 et seq.)
Attention
From July 2020, lenders are not required to check a borrower’s ability to repay a loan.
Be careful, evaluate your financial situation, don’t get into a debt trap.
The rule was changed by the CFPB.
Consumer Information
- According to the state law, one NSF collection fee not exceeding $25 can be charged.
- In case the loan is not repaid, the amount of the loan plus attorney fees can be recovered through the court trial. However, a collection agency is not allowed to file any actions against a borrower apart from the cases when the checking account of a borrower was closed before the repayment was done.
One more limitation stated by the Colorado state law is the prohibition on splitting the loan into two parts. Such a practice generally allows lending companies getting great profits by charging interest from both parts of the loans and therefore withdrawing more money from a borrower.
More information about payday loan laws and regulations in Colorado can be found on the official website of the Office of the Attorney General.
Regulator: Complaints & Information
Colorado Office of the Attorney General
Address: 1300 Broadway 10th Floor, Denver, CO 80203
Tel: 720-508-6000
Url: https://coag.gov/
File a Complaint: https://coag.gov/file-complaint/
Number of Colorado Consumers Complaints by Topics
According to CFPB Consumer Complaint Database
- Fraud and threat ( 97 )
- Charges from account ( 61 )
- Not exiting debt ( 44 )
- Lender is not available ( 20 )
- Credit rating ( 16 )
- Not requested loan ( 15 )
- Loan to return ( 14 )
- Loan not received ( 8 )
The Quantity of Top Colorado Stores by Cities
Statistics
| Year | No. of Stores | No. of Clients, thousand | No. of Loans, thousand | Value of Fees | Value of Loans, million |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 287 | 238,0 | 440,9 | – | 169,2 |
| 2013 | 260 | 259,0 | 481,1 | – | 189,1 |
| 2014 | 246 | 253,9 | 491,3 | – | 192,6 |
| 2015 | 242 | 234,3 | 448,8 | – | 178,6 |
| 2016 | – | 207,0 | 414,0 | 166,0 | |
| – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2018 | 149 | 195,8 | 384,1 | – | 155,6 |
The History of Payday Loans in Colorado
- 2000s – Payday lending was legal in the state and lenders could charge high-interest rates.
- 2006 – The Military Lending Act effectively capped payday loans offered to the military at 36% APR. This federal law has no exceptions, thus, no lender in Colorado is now allowed to offer loans to the military at the excess of 36% APR.
- 2007 – The law that attempted to reform the payday lending industry was made, however, that attempt failed. Lenders continued to make lump-sum high-cost loans but were then required to offer an installment plan as well. Yet, in all aspects, the reform was unsuccessful.
- 2010 – Colorado enacted new legislation that required all loans to be repaid at lower rates by introducing affordable installment payments as a must.
- June 2, 2016 – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) proposed a Payday Loan Rule that hasn’t yet fully come into effect (expected in November 2020).
- And while the fate of the federal regulation is still unclear, the state took their own measures meanwhile.
- November 6, 2018 – Colorado Legislature approved a ballot initiative, which is officially referred to as Proposition 111. It amends Colorado’s Deferred Deposit Loan Act and reduces deferred deposit loans interest rates and fees to 36%. Also, the Preposition 111 puts a stop to any alternative APRs, origination and/or monthly maintenance fees, and has other provisions with regard to payday loans. The measure took effect February 1, 2019.
- The new law doesn’t exactly outlaw payday lenders, however, the cap it places is very likely to drive most of them away from the state as such terms render the business entirely unprofitable.
- Colorado passes law capping consumer loan rates at 36% for out-of-state banks, effective July 1, 2024. Applies to new/renewed loans, raising enforceability questions.
[Updated As of March 2024]