The Risks and Benefits of Tribal Payday Lending and the Tenuous Right to Tribal Sovereign Immunity

Tribal leaders are regularly confronted with the challenge of funding their sovereign nations and providing for their people during this era of economic volatility and stagnant growth. While some tribal nations possess the substantial financial and natural resources necessary to overcome the difficulties associated with achieving self-determination, economic self-sufficiency, and self-governance, the reality is many tribal nations do not. Tribes geographically isolated from urban areas and lacking in natural resources often struggle to not only meet the needs of their people, but also to operate sustainable sovereign nations that provide all of the systems and resources present in modern governments. For these tribes, online payday lending operations may provide a temporary solution.