The Associated Press is reporting that Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has filed four lawsuits against payday lenders that he says are violating the state’s constitution by charging high-interest loans.

A consumer group has weighed in on the Arkansas payday loan debate saying this:

With the apparent success of his intimidation tactics, McDaniel joins the list of meddling elitists who couldn’t care less about soaring food prices. And the 500-plus employees of payday loan companies in Arkansas will join 80,000 other Americans at the back of the unemployment line.

The AG is threatening payday loan companies trying to collect on old loans, even those that say they are shutting down.