Robert Mayer, Ph.D.

Loyola University Chicago

 

Winner of the 2011 Alpha Sigma Nu Book Award in the category of History

 

Quick Cash: The Story of the Loan Shark (Northern Illinois University Press)

 

With the financial and real estate crises of the late 2000's, subprime mortgage lenders and the homeowners they targeted have been a hot topic and a source of outrage. But lawmakers have largely chosen to ignore another kind of monetary predator who continues to prey upon the working class - the loan shark.

 

Mayer presents the history of payday lending and assesses the consequences of high-interest lending - both for the people who borrow and for society as a whole.

 

Dr. Mayer is a Professor of Political Science at Loyola University Chicago, where he teaches courses on political theory and comparative politics.