loan sharking
Illegal high-interest lending
Loan sharking is the practice of lending money at extremely high interest rates, typically illegally and often with threats of violence for nonpayment.
The term evokes predatory lending by organized crime: He got mixed up with loan sharking and couldn't make the payments.
A person who engages in this is a loan shark.
Deliberate fear-inducing pressure
- enforcersThose who impose obedience
- muscleContractile body tissue
- threatsDeclarations of intended harm
- violenceHarmful physical force
extortion · blackmail · harassment · pressure · retribution · collection · strong-arm · fear
Forbidden by statute
- underworldRealm of the departed
- mobDisorderly, aggressive crowd
- gangstersOrganized crime members
- organized crimeStructured illegal enterprise
racketeering · unlicensed · unregulated · money laundering · fraud · criminal enterprise · syndicate · mafia
Unreasonably high, as costs
- extortionateUnreasonably high in cost
- gougingExploitative overpricing
- profiteeringExploiting scarcity for gain
- unconscionableMorally unacceptable, beyond reason
sky-high · juice · vigorish · vig · points · usurer · moneylender · pawnbroker
One who takes temporarily
- repaymentGiving back what's owed
- defaultPreset standard option
- principalChief school administrator
- interestAttention, stake, or fee
installment · collateral · arrears · delinquency · creditor · debtor · overdue · balloon payment
Being made to suffer
- manipulationUnderhanded control of others
- abuseCruel or violent treatment
- oppressionUnjust exercise of power
- targetingSelecting as objective
vulnerability · desperation · poverty · financial distress · trapped · predatory · unbanked · immigrant
intimidation
Deliberate fear-inducing pressure
- enforcersThose who impose obedience
- muscleContractile body tissue
- threatsDeclarations of intended harm
violence · extortion · blackmail · harassment · pressure · retribution · collection · strong-arm · fear · menace
illegal
Forbidden by statute
- underworldRealm of the departed
- mobDisorderly, aggressive crowd
- gangstersOrganized crime members
organized crime · racketeering · unlicensed · unregulated · money laundering · fraud · criminal enterprise · syndicate · mafia · yakuza
exorbitant
Unreasonably high, as costs
- extortionateUnreasonably high in cost
- gougingExploitative overpricing
- profiteeringExploiting scarcity for gain
unconscionable · sky-high · juice · vigorish · vig · points · usurer · moneylender · pawnbroker
borrower
One who takes temporarily
interest · installment · collateral · arrears · delinquency · creditor · debtor · overdue · balloon payment · rollover
victimization
Being made to suffer
- manipulationUnderhanded control of others
- abuseCruel or violent treatment
- oppressionUnjust exercise of power
targeting · vulnerability · desperation · poverty · financial distress · trapped · predatory · unbanked · immigrant · marginalized
- crimerobbery, accomplice, alibi, burglary, conspiracy
- crimesarson, burglary, robbery, kidnapping, vandalism
- wrongdoingmisconduct, crime, sabotage, crimes, misbehavior
- criminal schemesconspiracy, collusion, racketeering, kickback scheme, assassination plot
- financial fraudsecurities fraud, bank fraud, accounting fraud, defalcation, embezzler
- organized crimemafia, mob, the mob, syndicate, crime syndicate
loan sharkingbank loans
fair lending · consumer credit · low-interest loans · subsidized loans · microfinance
loan sharkingcharitable giving
Donating to help others
philanthropy · interest-free loans · grants · financial aid · mutual aid
loan, shark, sharks, lender, borrowing, lending, loaned, loans, loaning