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August 1974

Usury Laws: Harmful When Effective

by Norman N. Bowsher

Despite the credit market distortions caused by ceilings on interest rates, usury laws have been retained in most jurisdictions. It is the intent of this article to provide some insight and perspective on the value of such restrictions by reviewing briefly the history and justification of such laws, the role of interest rates, and some of the effects of interest rate restrictions.