Washington statute
RCW 9A.82.020 — Extortionate extension of credit
Current through 2026 Regular Session
Part of Chapter 9A.82: Criminal Profiteering Act, Revised Code of Washington.
Criminal charges under this statute
Full text of RCW 9A.82.020
Statutory text current through the 2026 Regular Session. This publication reproduces the official text of the Revised Code of Washington from the Code Reviser's published files; it is not the official statutes of the State of Washington.
(1) A person who knowingly makes an extortionate extension of credit is guilty of a class B felony.
(2) In a prosecution under this section, if it is shown that all of the following factors are present in connection with the extension of credit, there is prima facie evidence that the extension of credit was extortionate:
(a) The repayment of the extension of credit, or the performance of any promise given in consideration thereof, would be unenforceable at the time the extension of credit was made through civil judicial processes against the debtor in the county in which the debtor, if a natural person, resided or in every county in which the debtor, if other than a natural person, was incorporated or qualified to do business.
(b) The extension of credit was made at a rate of interest in excess of an annual rate of forty-five percent calculated according to the actuarial method of allocating payments made on a debt between principal and interest, pursuant to which a payment is applied first to the accumulated interest and the balance is applied to the unpaid principal.
(c) The creditor intended the debtor to believe that failure to comply with the terms of the extension of credit would be enforced by extortionate means.
(d) Upon the making of the extension of credit, the total of the extensions of credit by the creditor to the debtor then outstanding, including any unpaid interest or similar charges, exceeded one hundred dollars.
Official sources
Legal terms used in this section
Questions this section answers
Is extortionate extension of credit a felony or a misdemeanor in Washington?
Extortionate extension of credit is a Class B Felony in Washington under RCW 9A.82.020.
Which Washington statute covers extortionate extension of credit?
Extortionate extension of credit is governed by RCW 9A.82.020 (Extortionate extension of credit).
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.