Many take pass on Quick Assist loans

[unhappycamper]

Many take pass on Quick Assist loans
By Allison Batdorff, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Friday, February 1, 2008

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Getting the cash is quick but, so far, the response to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society’s $300 loan program has been slow.

Pacific offices anticipated big crowds when the Quick Assist Loan program, or QAL, went worldwide Jan. 23, after a successful pilot program saw 75 percent jumps in loan traffic at eight test locations.

QAL is a “no questions asked,” interest-free $300 loan available to some active-duty Navy or Marine Corps personnel. Qualified servicemembers download the online application and bring it with their identification and last Leave and Earning Statement to one of the 53 full-service NMCRS locations, where a check will be cut in about 15 minutes.

Yokosuka saw 13 QAL customers in the first week — a good showing, but lower than expected, branch director Andrea Bowen said Wednesday.

“We thought we’d be really busy at first and then it would slow down,” Bowen said. Advertising of QAL has been aggressive, she said, but “maybe people still don’t know about it.”


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52084



uhc comment: Previous threads on the loan -->

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=9434
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=10114