Jeff Sovern Op-Ed: Subprime Borrowers Need More Protection

May 12, 2012

In the Media

Business Forum: Subprime borrowers need more protection
By Jeff Sovern
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
May 12, 2012

Unfortunately, unlike restaurant safety, loan disclosures cannot simply be boiled down to a single A, B or C. Loan disclosures, to be useful, require some degree of complexity. And that complexity is too much for some consumers.

Requiring disclosures for those who cannot understand them is pointless. We need to focus on understanding in borrowing rather than simply disclosure. Otherwise, we must accept that some borrowers will not understand what they are pledging to do, with the consequent risks of default and another Great Recession.