Usury

/ˈjuː.ʒə.ri/ noun hard

Usury is the act of charging excessive interest on a loan, exploiting the borrower's need for money.

Medieval laws against usury forced merchants to find creative ways to profit from lending.

Memory Trick

Usury sounds like 'use-ury' - someone practicing usury uses your desperate need for money against you, charging outrageous rates.