The most important element of being a responsible borrower is to only borrow that which you firmly believe you can repay. Taking out a loan when you intend to default or think that defaulting is highly likely is not only dishonest, it's also unlikely to help your financial situation because it will incur penalties from both the lender and from your bank.
The other half of the equation is responsible lending. We pledge to never extend credit when we believe that the prospective borrower will be unable or unlikely to be able to make the payment on time. This helps our bottom line by eliminating bad debt, and it helps the borrower by shielding their credit record and avoiding exposing them to penalties that could exacerbate their financial difficulties.
Additionally, we pledge to not lend more than $500 or 50% of the borrower's net paycheck. This additional safeguard helps protect borrowers from entering into a debt cycle.