The moneychangers who have been instrumental in St. Ann Catholic Church getting a chapel that is new
About 10 months ago, we published a post en en en titled “Good Catholic men making a killing in the cash advance company.”
That post actually hit a neurological. It had a huge selection of views round the time We posted it in September 2014, and because then this has drawn more views than some other post that is past.
Yesterday and after this, how many views spiked, when you look at the wake for the Star publishing on its internet site an account in regards to the government that is federal a huge, online payday lending procedure run by Timothy Coppinger and Frampton T. Rowland III.
To offer a basic concept associated with the range for the procedure, between 2012 and 2013, Coppinger’s organizations issued $28 million in payday advances and withdrew significantly more than $46.5 million from people’s bank records.
Here’s how dirty were the transactions of the organizations: almost all the victims hadn’t actually used for loans but had provided sufficient private information about on their own to offer lenders usage of their checking accounts. The lenders then deposited “loans” within the people’s accounts and systematically withdrew “interest” re payments. Numerous victims didn’t recognize for the time that is long they certainly were being fleeced.
Coppinger ended up being one of many “good Catholic men” I penned about back 2014. He arises from a household that is a pillar of Visitation Catholic Church, 51st Terrace and principal.
One other household we published about had been the Hodes household, additionally of Visitation. Like Coppinger, Chris and Vince Hodes had Visitation Catholic class and Rockhurst High and soon after went to the cash advance business.
The Hodes family members, additionally of Visitation, has owned a rather plumbing that is successful company (they will have associated organizations, too) since 1943. No body through the Hodes family members needs to have any need whatsoever to be into the lending business that is payday. There must be a good amount of company, and earnings, in order to make everyone pleased for a lifetime.
You don’t have actually to be always a psychologist to understand what drove these “good Catholic men” towards the business that is seamy of payday loans — GREED.
But there’s more to the whol story — and much more Catholics with greedy fingers — than Tim Coppinger and Vince and Chris Hodes.
Coppinger and Vince Hodes are actually people in St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Prairie Village. So can be Coppinger’s payday-lending partner, Frampton (“Ted”) Rowland, and Stephen and Julie Zanone.
The Zanones had been principals in a business called MMG, that the state of Maryland fined and banned from conducting business in Maryland this past year because these people were billing interest as high as 1 how do title loans work,000 % or even more on payday loans…Maryland legislation limits yearly rates of interest to 24 or 33 %, with regards to the types of loan made. (Missouri requires a law that is similar probably won’t get one when in the future due to the conservatives’ stranglehold in the General Assembly.)
Coppinger, this season photo, keeping a trophy for winning a poker competition at St. Ann’s Catholic Church
Stephen and Julie Zanone
To be reasonable, none of those we have actually known as have actually faced unlawful costs. However they have to reply to the Kansas City community, and five of them — Coppinger, Rowland, Vince Hodes in addition to Zanones — have to resolve for their faith community, St. Ann’s.
You may think that individuals who will be making oodles of cash by gouging individuals in serious straits might have the gumption to help keep a decreased profile. That does not be seemingly the scenario using the five individuals called within the paragraph that is previous.
Many years ago, St. Ann’s established a money campaign because of the goal that is primary of funds to create a chapel next to the church, that is on Mission path, between 71st and 75th roads. The church has raised almost $7 million toward its objective of $8.5 million, additionally the chapel happens to be built, nevertheless the inside is certainly not quite completed.
When churches have actually money drives, they usually designate “lead givers,” or they will have “steering committees” to lead the drive and set the example for any other parishioners or congregants. We learned today from the source that is second-hand but a supply that I trust — that the lead givers at St. Ann included Tim Coppinger along with his spouse; Vince Hodes along with his spouse; Ted Rowland along with his spouse; additionally the Zanones.
I do believe it really is reasonable to assume that most of them made pledges that are significant the campaign. The pastor, had no qualms about accepting money from people who made millions on the backs of poor people in addition, as far as I know, Rev. Keith Lunsford.
The Pitch and investigative reporter David Hudnall have led the way in which regarding the payday-lending story, and Kansas Citians is grateful Hudnall has drawn right straight back the curtain about this situation that is ugly.
Their very first expose arrived in December 2013. He started that whole story by having a conversation associated with the influx of “new cash” at St. Ann, which parishioners had started to notice. Hudnall anonymously quoted one parishioner as saying:
“People in the finance committee together with college board had been speaing frankly about the morality of using that cash. However in the end, i believe they just seemed one other method.”
Whenever Hudnall asked Fr. Lunsford in regards to the income rise, Lunsford stated, “I don’t have any firsthand understanding of anyone at St. Ann mixed up in payday-loan industry.”
Listed here are my observations…
First, Lunsford should have had their eyes shut along with his arms over their ears. Needless to say, he didn’t have “firsthand” knowledge. Coppinger and Rowland weren’t planning to approach him and state, “Father, we’re making a king’s ransom in the loan that is payday, and we also desire to share the bounty aided by the church.”
But all Lunsford needed to probably do— and did but wouldn’t acknowledge — was to consider the foundation!
Such as the parishioners, he’d to possess heard that several of their everyone was neck deep in the pay day loan company, and then he must have had the courage to confront them then turn their straight straight back on the filthy lucre.
2nd, each and every time we have a look at that brand brand new, multi-million-dollar chapel, i’ll think of Jesus (yes, he additionally rates bold-face kind) angrily denouncing the moneychangers when you look at the temple and chasing them down by having a whip he fashioned away from cord.
The Gospel of Matthew quotes Jesus as saying, ” My house will be called the homely home of prayer; but ye are making it a den of thieves.”
Yesterday’s moneychangers are today’s payday lenders. Woe betide them.
The chapel that is new St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Prairie Village