In response to a recent op-ed on this blog defending payday loans, Rep. Linda Sánchez, D-Calif., countered that payday lenders create “debt traps” by forcing borrowers to take out additional loans to repay escalating interest on their original loan. I agree that this is a terrible cycle of debt for those who can least afford it.

However, Sanchez is inaccurate and misinformed when she lumps the traditional installment loan industry together with the payday loan industry. There are significant differences.

When you consider where American technology innovation is happening in the United States, places like Silicon Valley or big cities on the east and west coasts might come to mind. As a fintech entrepreneur providing services to online lenders, my experience has found a thriving business community in places you might not think to look: American Indian Reservations.

Many American Indian tribes have been enormously successful launching sustainable businesses in high-growth industries. These tribes owe their success to the creation of well-fueled economic development processes. Indeed, some tribes are so singularly focused on business creation that once an enterprise is running, they bring on business partners to help with operations so the tribe can remain focused on the creation of their next new business.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The payday lending industry got a rare showing of regulator support on Monday as the New York Fed took on its critics.

Payday lenders have seen a great deal of criticism for their practices. President Barack Obama has said the industry traps people in a cycle of debt, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has identified practices it’s concerned about, including failure to underwrite for affordable payments, repeatedly rolling over or refinancing loans, holding a security interest in a vehicle as collateral, accessing the consumer’s account for repayment, and performing costly withdrawal attempts.