
**States with some protections include term limits longer than 14 days (NM, OH, OK, OR, VA), limits on fees (OR,ME), and/or number of loans per borrower (WA).
Click on a state to read more about their efforts to end the Payday Loan Debt Trap.
Meghan Olsen Biebighauser joined the staff as Organizing Director in September of 2022. She has worked the last ten years as a community organizer – first at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Minneapolis and later at the Minneapolis Area Synod of the ELCA. Meghan was one of the founders of Exodus Lending as it was born out of Holy Trinity’s organizing work, and she’s thrilled to return to Exodus and continue to convene the Minnesotans for Fair Lending coalition.
Sophie Hoiseth works part-time with Exodus Lending as the Mankato Organizer. Outside of fair lending advocacy, they coordinate the Tapestry Project in Mankato, a community weaving program for refugees and host society members. She is passionate about making Minnesota a better place to live for all. They graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato with a degree in Political Science.
Heidi Durand is a local government consultant for Minnesotans for Fair Lending. In addition to
her work for MFL, she teaches Sociology and Anthropology courses at Minnesota State Community and
Technical College in Moorhead, MN. She has been at MState for 21 years.
Heidi served on the Moorhead City Council from 2012-2020, where she first became aware of
the predatory lending problem facing her community. She worked with city staff, officials, and team
members from MFL and Exodus Lending to create a small loan licensing ordinance within the city of
Moorhead. The ordinance was passed in 2020. Since then, she has been working alongside team
members to bring the “Moorhead Model” and public awareness to other cities in Greater Minnesota.