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PBS News Hour

Left behind by banks, poor Americans pay more to borrow

It’s expensive to be poor. Unable to maintain a minimum balance or provide the necessary ID to open a bank account, many low-income Americans rely on fringe financial services like check cashing stores and payday lenders, which charge interest rates that can reach the triple digits. Hari Sreenivasan learns more from Mehrsa Baradaran, author of "How the Other Half Banks."

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