What does usury refer to?

Usury refers specifically to laws that limit the interest rates that can be charged on loans. This concept is important in financial regulation as it seeks to protect borrowers from excessively high interest rates that could lead to debt traps or unfair lending practices. By establishing a cap on interest rates, usury laws aim to promote fairness in lending and ensure that consumers are not exploited by lenders.

The other options pertain to different legal concepts; for instance, limiting the duration of contracts deals with contract law, property ownership definitions are concerned with real estate and property law, and agency relationships focus on the legal dynamics between agents and principals. None of these relate directly to the specific regulation of interest rates as usury does.