Today’s Arizona Republic:

Attorney General Terry Goddard pledged Wednesday to go after payday-loan stores that break the law after their permission to charge high-interest rates expires at the end of the month.

Goddard announced an initiative called “Operation Sunset” that will use attorneys within his office to pursue charges against unscrupulous lenders.

“I don’t think they’re going to go quietly into the night,” Goddard said. “The experience of other states indicates there are a number of deceptive practices that former payday lenders may engage in.”

The move comes three weeks before the June 30 expiration of a law allowing lenders to charge interest rates up to 400 percent on short-term loans. Despite intense lobbying from the payday-lending industry, lawmakers did not come to an agreement this year on a law that would extend the lenders’ ability to charge high rates of interest.

Starting in July, interest rates are capped at 36 percent plus 5 percent for administrative fees.

In the absence of such a law, Goddard said, lenders will be more likely to pursue alternatives such as auto-title loans or Internet-based lending. Goddard said North Carolina and Arkansas experienced an increase in deceptive practices after those states changed their laws to outlaw payday loans.

Those activities could be illegal depending on how the agreements are written, he said.

The state has 75 licensed payday-lending companies operating 522 stores, according to the Attorney General’s Office.

Goddard is asking for the public’s help in reporting possible illegal activity among payday lenders. People who believe lenders are operating outside the law are asked to call toll-free at 866-879-5219 or e-mail the office at operationsunset@azag .gov.

The office also set up a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/operationsunset.