What is an example of loan shark?

Answer 1

Okay, to do this I'm going to tell you a story, alright? we're going to have the people... bob and brian. Now bob is poor. Last week, he needed money so he went to brian, who offered him a hundred dollars, no more and no less. So Bob took the deal. One week later, brian comes around and asks for his hundred dollars back, plus 20 dollars interest (that's a HUGE amount!) but bob doesn't have the money. So brian says that bob doesn't have to pay this week, but will need to pay a total $200 next week. Now if bob can't pay off the money that he got plus the extra twenty, how should someone expect to get him to pay off $200? That's a loan shark: They lend money and then charge gargantuan interest rates which pile up continuously until they hit a point where the person can't pay anymore and spends the rest of their life paying the bill or goes and commits suicide or leaves the country (loan sharks aren't just in america...) Cruel world...
A loan shark is a private moneylender who operates outside of mainstream financial institutions and extends loans primarily to people who are unable to access these services through conventional methods. Due to the high risk of default and the illegality of their operations in many areas, loan sharks typically charge relatively high rates of interest compared to banks or credit unions.

However, despite their reputation as being "predatory" lenders, their interest rates are often lower than those of the (legal) payday lenders, who are the primary alternative for those who are unable to access conventional loan sources. Loan sharks also tend to be more flexible about negotiating with borrowers and will not subject applicants to credit checks, employment verification checks, citizenship verification, disclosure of taxpayer identification numbers, and various other hassles that present obstacles for people who are unable or unwilling to comply with these requirements.

Although they have a generally unfavorable reputation in popular folklore, actual violence by loan sharks is rare; however, they have been known to employ harassment or humiliation tactics against borrowers who do not repay their loan amounts within a reasonable period of time. Sometimes they will seize property from delinquent debtors if other methods of collection have failed and the risk of default is imminent.

Loan sharks tend to proliferate in urban areas where there are large numbers of people with steady wages and modest incomes. They also cater to immigrant communities who have a significant population of workers who are not documented citizens and are therefore ineligible for most conventional loans.