KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Operators of a Kansas City-area based payday lending scheme are banned from offering loans under a settlement that would wipe away outstanding debts.

The Federal Trade Commission announced the settlement Tuesday with business owners Timothy Coppinger and Frampton Rowland. Combined, the men operated more than a dozen companies in Kansas City, Missouri, and the Kansas towns of Prairie Village and Mission.

The FTC says the business deposited money into the accounts of payday loans seekers without their permission. The FTC also alleged that recurring charges were withdrawn without any of the payments going toward the principal.

Rowland’s attorney said in an email to The Associated Press that his client had voluntarily ceased consumer lending before the FTC filed the case. Coppinger’s attorney said his client didn’t want to comment.