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A campaign of Exodus Lending

Regulatory Recap


Our Story

Minnesotans for Fair Lending (MFL) brings together organizations and their people to organize and advocate for reforming or eradicating predatory lending practices. With unwavering resolve, MFL stands at the forefront of a movement that seeks to bring about lasting change and foster a fairer, more just financial landscape.

Minnesotans for Fair Lending played a pivotal role in achieving a significant milestone for consumer protection in Minnesota: the successful passage of a state-wide interest rate cap in 2023. Through advocacy and strategic collaboration, the coalition effectively put an end to the deceptive and detrimental payday loans that have plagued vulnerable communities for far too long.

This legislative victory not only ensures the financial well-being of numerous individuals but also establishes Minnesotans for Fair Lending as a strong advocate in the ongoing fight against predatory lending practices.

Empowered by this legislative win, the coalition is well-positioned to build upon its success and pursue further legislative achievements aimed at dismantling the exploitative nature of predatory lending. We believe that everyone is entitled to just, equitable and responsible financial products and we will continue to advocate alongside Minnesotans directly impacted to put an end to the predatory practices of lenders.

In 2023, Minnesota joined 18 states and Washington D.C. with provisions ending payday lending as we knew it.


U.S. Payday Lending Regulations By State

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY DC

**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.

Map Key

Our Organizing Team

Meghan Olsen Biebighauser

Organizing Director
She/Her

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.

Sophia Hoiseth

Mankato Organizer​
She/They

Sophie Hoiseth works part-time with Exodus Lending as the Mankato Organizer. Outside of fair lending advocacy, they coordinate life-long learning programming for an adult community center. They graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato with a degree in Political Science.

Heidi Durand

City Policy Specialist
She/Her

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.

Our Partners

We are grateful for our wonderful partners! Please reach out if you would like to join our mission, too!

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