I strongly object to a misleading headline which accompanied a recent news article (Oct. 30) on payday advance data collected by the state of Utah. It suggested that lenders had not been truthful in reporting statistics related to the payday advance service.

That is not true. The headline ("Payday lenders caught in a lie?") introduced a biased contention, which, to be fair, was largely knocked down in the article. But many readers, who may not have continued reading, were left with an inaccurate and unjustly negative representation of the payday advance industry.

Advance America is the largest provider of payday advances in the United States, with approximately 2,600 centers in 33 states. As a publicly traded company, we regularly report to and operate under the supervision of federal regulators including the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as various state legislatures.

Most people use payday advances responsibly and for a relatively short period of time. Payday advances can be a sensible, reliable and transparent option.

Jamie Fulmer

director of public affairs

Advance America Cash Advance Centers