A beneficiary of the government shutdown are the small dollar lenders as more federal workers turn to them to make ends meet; these loans offer high interest rates and are often predatory in nature but they are attractive to many Americans who feel like they have no other alternative; but there are alternatives, many credit unions and community banks are offering interest free loans to government workers payable after the shutdown ends; there is also a bill before Congress to offer $6,000 no-interest loans to all federal employees affected by the shutdown. Source.