Teena Hamlin stands outside the Allied Cash Advance in Richmond where she took out a loan in a moment of desperation. (Credit: Michael Pope)

For people who are really hard up for quick cash, reading the fine print of a contract is not always the top priority. That’s how many businesses thrive, charging interest rates in the hundreds to desperate consumers and trapping them in a cycle of debt. Now some elected officials are fighting back. Michael Pope reports.