This question illustrates what is known as discount interest. Imagine you are discussing a loan with a somewhat unscrupulous lender. You want to borrow $20,000 for one year. The interest rate is 12.5 percent. You and the lender agree that the interest on the loan will be .125 × $20,000 = $2,500. So, the lender deducts this interest amount from the loan up front and gives you $17,500. In this case, we say that the discount is $2,500.
What is the effective interest rate? (Round your answer to 2 decimal places (e.g., 32.16))