Satirical Site Bashes Predatory Lenders

SEATTLE, Nov. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Front Seat Management today announced the launch of the Predatory Lending Association web site (http://www.PredatoryLendingAssociation.com), a satirical take on the payday loan industry.

"The Predatory Lending Association (PLA) is dedicated to extracting maximum profit from the working poor by increasing payday loan fees and debt traps. The working poor are an exciting, fast-growing demographic that includes: military personnel, most minorities, and a growing percentage of the middle class," the site's home page proclaims.

Created by ex-Microsoft executive Mike Mathieu and a team in Seattle, the site provides a sophisticated and in-depth look at the payday loan industry. And while its satire might make some cringe, the site is factually accurate, using data from the Center for Responsible Lending and the U.S. Census Bureau.

The site uses ruthless parody to reveal industry lobbying and business practices, including a military base finder to target active duty military and a PoorFinder(TM) to target poor people using Google Maps. The site also has a suite of interactive racial profiling tools and a comparison of payday lending and indentured servitude.

"This wickedly funny and dead-on critique of the payday loan industry is the most sophisticated use of technology and satire that I've seen. Every visitor to the site leaves smarter-and most will leave angrier," said Elizabeth Warren, Leo Gottlieb Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, and a recognized expert on issues in the pay day lending industry.

The site is regularly updated and includes analysis of last week's "North Carolina Crisis," when the North Carolina Commissioner of Banks released a report showing that people are better off one year after North Carolina outlawed payday lending.

While fun in tone, the purpose of the site and the significant investment behind it are serious. "Pay day lenders profit by turning people's short-term financial pains into long-term financial pains," Mathieu said. "It's society's job to reign in industries that do more harm than good."

About Front Seat Management

Front Seat Management, LLC is a Seattle-based organization founded by Mike Mathieu, a former Microsoft executive and high tech entrepreneur. Using a hybrid approach that blends both for-profit and non-profit initiatives, Front Seat Management is dedicated to using technological innovation to get people talking about important issues. Projects include BetterBills.org -- a new design for utility bills that promotes conservation by telling people how they compare to others; Walk Score -- a popular site that lets people measure the walkability of their neighborhood; and PredatoryLendingAssociation.com -- a highly polished political satire of the pay day lending industry.