The ruling is quite clear, as you say, the Ribaa or usury is totally prohibited. According to the scholars of the past, allowing usury or claiming that it is permissible, is one of the nullifications of Islam. Thus, this is a matter of extreme importance.
The ruling more concisely upon Ribaa is further very sound and consistent through time, the rulings from the Umayyad period pair with what we have today and were similarly applied. That is, the concept of loans, is allowed, however, those which accrue increased value over time through various financial manipulation schemes, are among those to be rejected and made forbidden for Muslim. These are of course, usury, which is Ribaa, which is banned totally. A loan, which is taken, must have a fixed rate that does not increase in value and in my opinion, must come with a stipulation that you may pay it off prior to the final payment month. As, a Muslim receives a reward for paying debts early instead of lingering on payments as this is testing his Creator.
Equally so, many other styles of loans or purchases are equally forbidden to the Muslim. For instance, the idea of a credit card, is not forbidden, but highly disliked and to be avoided as it is commanded by Allah to posses those items with which you exchange. Thus, in my own opinion, even the concept of loans derived via banks and not family members, is disliked and to be avoided for financial safety and religious piety. Hence, the religious and defensive Muslim should save the incomes with which you earn and defer gratification in purchases or commitments so as to later purchases these items without loans and have a clear heart for His/Her Creator. If you cannot do this, then the object you needed excessive loans for, is not worth it.