Usury

In medieval times

The medieval term for interest collected on loans of money.

Islam prohibits usury or interest on loans. So does the Bible.

In modern times

Usury means charging an exorbitant, excessive, or illegally high rate of interest.

In the United States, most states have usury laws limiting interest rates. This area of law is complex, particularly since, during the period of high inflation in the 1970s, the Federal government passed a law exempting national banks from state usury laws.

In many states, such as New Jersey, the "legal rate of interest" is 6%, but this only applies to rare situations and certainly does not mean that home mortgages at higher rates, or credit card finance charges (often as high as 18%), are illegal.

Many Christians ignore the teachings of the Bible in regards to charging interest on loans. This is an example of how some Christians disregard parts of the Bible because they believe they are no longer relevant to modern life.