Credit Slips is pleased to welcome Jim Hawkins as our guest blogger for the upcoming two weeks. Jim is an Assistant Professor at the University of Houston Law Center, where he teaches contracts and consumer protection. His recent scholarship focuses on fringe banking, including payday loans and rent-to-own transactions, and on health care finance. He has two forthcoming papers on financing arrangements in the fertility market. Much of Jim's research draws on interviews with industry professionals, offering their insider view on the structure and nature of credit transactions. We look forward to his posts!