US agency says apps that let workers access paychecks before payday are providing loans [Video]

By Cora Lewis, The Associated Press

NEW YORK — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Thursday that apps that allow workers to access their paychecks in advance, often for a fee, are providing loans and therefore subject to the Truth in Lending Act, a 1968 law that requires lenders to disclose all loan costs and fees.

If enacted, the proposed rule would provide clarity to a fast-growing industry known as Earned Wage Access, which has been compared to payday lending. The agency wants borrowers to be able to “easily compare products” and to prevent “race-to-the-bottom business practices,” CFPB Director Rohit Chopra said on a call with reporters.

Earned Wage Access appshave been around for more than a decade, but they gained popularity in the years before the pandemic and since. The apps extend small short-term loans to workers in between paychecks so they can pay bills and meet everyday needs. On payday, the user repays the money out of …