(Scurzuzu) It’s no secret that payday loan storefronts often pop up in lower-income communities where consumers are more likely to need a quick infusion of cash to get to the next paycheck. A new report from the Howard University Center on Race and Wealth shines a light on the frequency with which the small-dollar, high-cost loans are opened in susceptible communities in the southern United States. The report [PDF], which studies payday loan practices in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi, found that the most vulnerable communities in those states continue to fall prey to these practices, causing considerable damage to their already compromised financial stability. Overall, the report found that 12 million Americans in these areas use payday loans annually, averaging about eight loans a year.