The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss., on giving borrowers better options:

The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss., on giving borrowers better options:

Payday lending thrives in Mississippi because too many borrowers believe they have no other option.

The latest effort to create better options for borrowers is being undertaken by the Mississippi Center for Justice and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation. As detailed in a front-page story on Monday, the two groups have joined forces to encourage traditional financial institutions to offer small loan alternatives at lower interest rates to the working poor -- those living from payday to payday. The groups are also undertaking a consumer education campaign to help Mississippians live within their means.

We commend the center and the foundation. And we urge the financial community to provide better ways for Mississippians to make ends meet. The initial profit may be small, but the long-term benefits could be immeasurable.