The U.S. Census Bureau released new statistics this last week, and it is now said that 49 million Americans are living below the poverty line. Sadly, one in every four children are living in impoverished situations and since 2007 poverty has increased in 46 of the 50 fifty United States.

From 2009 to 2010, 2.6 million people have sunk below the poverty line, and 1.6 million of these men and women are from the South.

For these men and women just trying to make ends meet, payday advances are a quick fix for financial emergencies. This explains why the largest per capita concentrations of payday loan stores are in southern states like Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina.  These quick loans allow a person to get the cash he or she needs before her next payday.

Though these states are peppered with payday loan stores, there is an easier way to secure a payday loan. Oftentimes these small mini-mall businesses are out to get their customers, imposing hefty interest rates and making it tough for borrowers to pay back their loans.