Paul Kiel
Paul Kiel covers business and consumer finance for ProPublica.
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Paul Kiel covers business and consumer finance for ProPublica.
In recent years, he’s focused on the U.S. tax system. The Secret IRS Files, which involved a team of ProPublica reporters, revealed key ways the ultrawealthy avoid taxes. Before that, he worked on The TurboTax Trap and Gutting the IRS investigations.
Past areas of focus included the foreclosure crisis, high-cost lending, the use of lawsuits to collect consumer debts, and the consumer bankruptcy system.
He has won numerous awards, including the Selden Ring Award, a Gerald Loeb Award, a Barlett & Steele Award, a Scripps Howard Award twice, a Hillman Prize, and a Philip Meyer Award from Investigative Reporters and Editors.
His work has appeared in several newspapers, including The Washington Post and The New York Times. He has also produced stories for National Public Radio and American Public Media’s Marketplace, as well as appeared on This American Life.
Defense Department Proposes Broad Ban on High-Cost Loans to Service Members
Acknowledging that a previous law did not go far enough, Defense Department proposes new rules to protect service members from high-cost lenders.
Old Debts, Fresh Pain: Weak Laws Offer Debtors Little Protection
Critics say the 1968 federal law that allows collectors to take 25 percent of debtors' wages, or every penny in their bank accounts, is out of date and overly harsh.
Unseen Toll: Wages of Millions Seized to Pay Past Debts
A new study provides the first-ever tally of how many employees lose up to a quarter of their paychecks over debts like unpaid credit card or medical bills and student loans.
USA Discounters Agrees to Refund $5 Charge Collected in What Feds Called A “Fee Scam”
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s action addresses one small aspect of the company’s business practices which also includes thousands of lawsuits against service members who fall behind on their payments.
Senators Push For Investigation of USA Discounters’ ‘Aggressive’ Tactics
The Defense Department and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are urged to see whether service members are able to defend themselves against lawsuits while on active duty.
USA Discounters Responds to ProPublica Article
The company says ProPublica “inaccurately” portrayed its policies regarding military customers, but cites no errors.
For Lenders, Gaps in Federal Law Make Suing Soldiers Easy
Courts are required to appoint attorneys for service members if they are sued and can’t appear. But the law says little about what those lawyers must do. Some companies have taken advantage.
Thank You for Your Service: How One Company Sues Soldiers Worldwide
With stores near military bases across the country, the retailer USA Discounters offers easy credit to service members. But when those loans go bad, the company uses the local courts near its Virginia headquarters to file suits by the thousands.
Insta-Loophole: In Florida, High-Cost Lender Skirts the Law
Despite a ban on high-interest car title loans, the nation’s largest title lender has opened 26 Instaloan stores in Florida, offering a refashioned version of the loans that effectively charge the same sky-high rates the law was designed to stop.