What Share of Payday Loan Complaints to the CFPB Are About Tribal Lenders
Original analysis of 2,277 records from the CFPB, 2025 (calendar year, date received by the CFPB). Published October 21, 2026.
We counted all 2,277 payday loan complaints the CFPB published for 2025 and matched each company to documented tribal ownership, using lender websites, court decisions and tribal and state records.
What the 2025 complaint records show
Lenders with documented tribal ownership were named in 424 of the 2,277 payday loan complaints the CFPB published for 2025, or 18.6%. These 15 companies are 5.1% of the 296 companies named in payday complaints. Counting 9 further lenders whose tribal ties we could not document, the share would rise to 23.5%.
- 19%2025 payday complaints, documented tribal lenders
- 4242025 payday complaints naming a documented tribal lender
- 33%2025 unexpected-fee complaints naming a tribal lender
Half of the ten most-named lenders
5 of the ten company names listed most often in 2025 payday loan complaints have documented tribal ownership; the CFPB lists some corporate groups, such as CNG, under more than one name. Together they drew 311 complaints, 73.3% of all complaints against tribal lenders.
Rosebud entity leads the tribal lenders
Rosebud Economic Development Corporation, which generates revenues for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, was named in 77 complaints, ranking at number 4 of all 296 companies. The most-named company overall was CCF Intermediate Holdings LLC with 129.
Fees dominate tribal lender complaints
Half of the complaints against tribal lenders (50.7%) cite fees or interest the borrower did not expect, against 23.7% for all other companies. Tribal lenders account for 32.8% of all complaints with that issue.
Monetary relief was rare
Tribal lenders closed 4 of their 424 complaints with monetary relief (0.9%), compared with 2.3% for all other companies. None of their complaints were closed with non-monetary relief.
Large differences between states
Among the 29 states with at least 25 payday complaints, the tribal share ranges from 40.6% in New Jersey to 0.0% in New York. In Texas, the state with the most payday complaints, it was 2.7%.
Which Payday Lenders Get the Most CFPB Complaints
The ranking lists every company named in a 2025 payday loan complaint. 15 of the 296 companies have documented tribal ownership; 9 more are marked as possibly tribal because we could not document the link.
CCF Intermediate Holdings LLC drew the most payday complaints (129). The tribal lenders named most often were Rosebud Economic Development Corporation (77), WLCC (65), Ningo Lending, which does business as Spotloan (63), Uprova Credit (56) and Wolf River Development Company (50).
Company names are shown as the CFPB records them. The CFPB names the legal entity that answered the complaint, which for tribal lenders is often a tribal corporation rather than the brand a borrower knows: WLCC is the Wakpamni Lake Community Corporation of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, and Wolf River Development Company is the commercial arm of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin. The other companies include storefront chains, online lenders, cash-advance apps, banks and credit bureaus. The ranking counts complaints only; it does not account for how many loans each company makes.
Payday loan complaints by company, 2025
| Company | Group | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| CCF Intermediate Holdings LLC | Other | 129 |
| ENOVA INTERNATIONAL, INC. | Other | 98 |
| Dave Operating, LLC | Other | 96 |
| Rosebud Economic Development Corporation | Tribal | 77 |
| WLCC | Tribal | 65 |
| Ningo Lending LLC dba Spotloan | Tribal | 63 |
| Opportunity Financial, LLC | Other | 59 |
| Uprova Credit, LLC | Tribal | 56 |
| MoneyLion Inc. | Other | 52 |
| Wolf River Development Company | Tribal | 50 |
| CNG FINANCIAL CORPORATION | Other | 47 |
| GVA Holdings, LLC | Other | 40 |
| Activehours | Other | 36 |
| Advance America, Cash Advance Centers, Inc. | Other | 35 |
| Populus Financial Group, Inc. (F/K/A Ace Cash Express) | Other | 33 |
Show all companies
| Company | Group | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Possible Financial Inc | Other | 33 |
| EGL US, LLC | Other | 31 |
| Affirm Holdings, Inc | Other | 29 |
| Albert Corporation | Other | 28 |
| World Acceptance Corporation | Other | 27 |
| Harpeth Financial Services, LLC | Other | 26 |
| OneMain Finance Corporation | Other | 26 |
| LDF Holdings, LLC | Tribal | 25 |
| Minto Financial dba Minto Money | Possibly tribal | 25 |
| Block, Inc. | Other | 24 |
| Bridge IT, Inc. | Other | 23 |
| Chime Financial Inc | Other | 23 |
| CreditNinja Lending, LLC | Other | 22 |
| Crow Creek Sioux Tribe | Tribal | 22 |
| Tribal Lending Enterprise, Inc. | Tribal | 22 |
| Uetsa Tsakits, Inc. d/b/a MaxLend | Possibly tribal | 21 |
| Post Lake Lending Inc. | Possibly tribal | 20 |
| SoLo Funds Inc. | Other | 19 |
| Tilt Finance, Inc. | Other | 19 |
| National Credit Adjusters, LLC | Other | 18 |
| Makes Cents, Inc. dba Advance.Cash | Other | 17 |
| MoneySpot USA LLC DBA Sunshine Loans | Other | 17 |
| Big Picture Loans, LLC | Tribal | 16 |
| SECURITY FINANCE CORP | Other | 16 |
| Experian Information Solutions Inc. | Other | 15 |
| Fundo LLC | Other | 15 |
| OPORTUN FINANCIAL CORPORATION | Other | 15 |
| Robinson Economic Development Corporation | Possibly tribal | 15 |
| Braviant Holdings, LLC | Other | 14 |
| Credit Fresh Holdings Inc | Other | 14 |
| CNG HOLDINGS INC | Other | 13 |
| Cash Express, LLC | Other | 13 |
| Klover Holdings, Inc. | Other | 12 |
| Net Pay Advance, Inc. | Other | 12 |
| Regional Management Corporation | Other | 12 |
| TRANSUNION INTERMEDIATE HOLDINGS, INC. | Other | 12 |
| AAA Auto Title Loans, LLC | Other | 11 |
| Benht: Economic Development Corporation | Possibly tribal | 10 |
| EQUIFAX, INC. | Other | 10 |
| National Financial LLC | Other | 10 |
| 2288984 Ontario Inc. | Other | 9 |
| Big City Finance, LLLP | Other | 9 |
| Hatfield, Inc. | Other | 9 |
| Line Financial, PBC | Other | 9 |
| QC HOLDINGS INC | Other | 9 |
| Sulphur Bank Rancheria Enterprises | Tribal | 9 |
| Western-Shamrock Corporation | Other | 9 |
| Amscot Corporation | Other | 8 |
| Fig Tech Inc. | Other | 8 |
| Mobiloans, LLC | Possibly tribal | 8 |
| SOFI TECHNOLOGIES, INC. | Other | 8 |
| Thaxton Investment Corporation | Other | 8 |
| Kashia Services | Tribal | 7 |
| Lac Courte Oreilles Financial Services II | Tribal | 7 |
| MARINER FINANCE, LLC | Other | 7 |
| SUN LOAN COMPANY INC. | Other | 7 |
| Self Financial Inc. | Other | 7 |
| Tower Loan of Mississippi, Inc. | Other | 7 |
| UPGRADE, INC. | Other | 7 |
| Bison Bucks Lending | Possibly tribal | 6 |
| Essential Lending Inc | Other | 6 |
| Florida Financial Management dba Lend A Dollar | Other | 6 |
| Kikoff Inc. | Other | 6 |
| Lenmo Inc | Other | 6 |
| Round Up Ventures, L.P. | Other | 6 |
| Upstart Holdings, Inc. | Other | 6 |
| A-1 Premium Acceptance, Inc. | Other | 5 |
| ACIMA CREDIT, LLC | Other | 5 |
| Applied Data Finance, LLC | Other | 5 |
| Cliff Lending Inc. d/b/a Advance Loan Solutions | Other | 5 |
| Credimatico LLC | Other | 5 |
| DLC, LLC | Other | 5 |
| Golden Entropy Marketing Inc | Other | 5 |
| Marlette Funding, LLC | Other | 5 |
| NCP Holdings, L.P. | Other | 5 |
| Nationwide Capital Services, LLC | Other | 5 |
| OM Financial, LLC | Other | 5 |
| PDQ Check Exchange LC | Other | 5 |
| Spring Oaks Capital, LLC | Other | 5 |
| Westcreek Financial | Other | 5 |
| Avant Holding Company, Inc. | Other | 4 |
| Bear Claw Lending dba Lucent Cash | Possibly tribal | 4 |
| CITIBANK, N.A. | Other | 4 |
| CashRepublic Holdings, Inc. | Other | 4 |
| Chek Cash, Inc. | Other | 4 |
| Creditly Corp. | Other | 4 |
| Debt Recovery Solutions, LLC | Other | 4 |
| Deinde Online Services, LLC | Other | 4 |
| FinCo Services Inc DBA Current | Other | 4 |
| Kashable LLC | Other | 4 |
| Klarna AB | Other | 4 |
| Personal Cash Loans of SC, Inc. | Other | 4 |
| TRUIST FINANCIAL CORPORATION | Other | 4 |
| Transform Credit Inc. | Other | 4 |
| A-1 Payday Loans and Title Loan Referral Inc. | Other | 3 |
| Atlas Credit Company, Inc. | Other | 3 |
| CAINE & WEINER COMPANY, INC. | Other | 3 |
| CFW Holdings LLC | Other | 3 |
| Deer Creek Lending | Possibly tribal | 3 |
| ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP INC. | Other | 3 |
| Federal Cash Advance, LLC of Oklahoma | Other | 3 |
| Financial Asset Management, Inc. | Other | 3 |
| Flexible Finance, Inc. | Other | 3 |
| Global Processing Services, LLC | Other | 3 |
| Hamiltonian Inc. | Other | 3 |
| LendingPoint Holdings LLC | Other | 3 |
| Lendmark Financial Services | Other | 3 |
| NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION | Other | 3 |
| PRG Ventures, Inc | Other | 3 |
| Paypal Holdings, Inc | Other | 3 |
| V and H Portfolio | Other | 3 |
| eMoneyUSA Holdings, LLC | Other | 3 |
| 2233 Paradise Road LLC | Other | 2 |
| ALCAR INC. | Other | 2 |
| AmeriCash Holding LLC | Other | 2 |
| BLINCLOANS, INC. | Other | 2 |
| BTH Management | Other | 2 |
| Bastion Consumer Funding I, LLC | Other | 2 |
| Bounce AI, Inc. | Other | 2 |
| Bright Capital Inc | Other | 2 |
| CL Holdings LLC | Other | 2 |
| CURO Intermediate Holdings | Other | 2 |
| Camelot Financial Services, Inc. | Other | 2 |
| Cash Link USA, LLC | Other | 2 |
| Cashbak, LLC | Other | 2 |
| Cedar Holdings, Inc. | Other | 2 |
| Central Portfolio Control Inc. | Other | 2 |
| Clark County Collection Service | Other | 2 |
| Credible Labs Inc. | Other | 2 |
| DFC Global Corp. | Other | 2 |
| Duvera Billing Services, LLC | Other | 2 |
| EMG ACQUISITION GROUP, LLC | Other | 2 |
| Express Paycheck LLC | Other | 2 |
| FIRSTBANK PUERTO RICO | Other | 2 |
| FinFit Holding Co, LLC | Other | 2 |
| Financial Service Center of Ohio, LLC | Other | 2 |
| FlexShopper, Inc | Other | 2 |
| Galt Financial Solutions, LLC | Other | 2 |
| General Recovery Services of WV, Inc. | Other | 2 |
| MMRR Finance, d/b/a Cash Loans Direct | Other | 2 |
| Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria | Tribal | 2 |
| Mediation Recovery Center | Other | 2 |
| Modoc Tribe Financial Services Authority | Tribal | 2 |
| NCB Management Services Inc. | Other | 2 |
| Prog Holdings, Inc. | Other | 2 |
| REGIONS FINANCIAL CORPORATION | Other | 2 |
| RFNA, LP | Other | 2 |
| Resurgent Capital Services L.P. | Other | 2 |
| SCHOOLSFIRST FEDERAL CREDIT UNION | Other | 2 |
| SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL | Other | 2 |
| Sezzle Inc. | Other | 2 |
| Sunbit, Inc. | Other | 2 |
| Sunset Management, Inc | Other | 2 |
| Tesani Management Inc | Other | 2 |
| U.S. BANCORP | Other | 2 |
| UNITED SERVICES AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION | Other | 2 |
| Westlake Services, LLC | Other | 2 |
| Wxw Investments, LLC | Other | 2 |
| 1 Stop Payday Loan Services LLC | Other | 1 |
| 1st Franklin Financial Corporation | Other | 1 |
| 4 RE Services llc | Other | 1 |
| ADP Inc. | Other | 1 |
| AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY | Other | 1 |
| Account Managers, Inc. | Other | 1 |
| Action Credit, LLC | Other | 1 |
| Allied Consulting Services LLC | Other | 1 |
| Alorica Inc. | Other | 1 |
| Amigos Préstamos | Other | 1 |
| Anytime Cash Solutions LLC | Other | 1 |
| Ascent Holding Co | Other | 1 |
| Asset Recovery Bureau LLC | Other | 1 |
| Atlantic Recovery Solutions LLC | Other | 1 |
| BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION | Other | 1 |
| BILL.COM, LLC | Other | 1 |
| BROADVIEW MORTGAGE CORPORATION | Other | 1 |
| Blake Enterprises, LLC | Other | 1 |
| Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. | Other | 1 |
| Bright Side Loans, LLC | Other | 1 |
| Broadway Advance LLC | Other | 1 |
| Business Financing Corporation | Other | 1 |
| CCI Financial, Inc | Other | 1 |
| CHERRY TECHNOLOGIES INC. | Other | 1 |
| CHOICE CAPITAL FUND | Other | 1 |
| CREDIT ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION | Other | 1 |
| Capital Mitigation Services, LLC | Other | 1 |
| Capitol Loans | Other | 1 |
| Cash Max LLC | Other | 1 |
| Citizens Savings & Loan Corporation, Chattanooga, TN Branch | Other | 1 |
| Client Services, Inc. | Other | 1 |
| Climb Credit Inc. | Other | 1 |
| Coconut Funding Corporation | Other | 1 |
| Colony Brands, Inc. | Other | 1 |
| Consumer Adjustment Company Incorporated | Other | 1 |
| Credit Central Holdings, LLC | Other | 1 |
| Credit Corp Solutions Inc. | Other | 1 |
| Cypress Creek Financial, LLC | Other | 1 |
| DLF Law Group, LLC | Other | 1 |
| DailyPay, Inc | Other | 1 |
| Direct Cash LLC | Other | 1 |
| Eagle Financial Services, Inc. | Other | 1 |
| Easy Finance, LLC | Other | 1 |
| Elite Portfolio Management, LLC | Other | 1 |
| Everi Payments Inc. | Other | 1 |
| FIFTH THIRD FINANCIAL CORPORATION | Other | 1 |
| FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF OMAHA | Other | 1 |
| FIRST TECHNOLOGY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION | Other | 1 |
| FISERV FINXACT CORE | Other | 1 |
| FREEDOM FINANCIAL NETWORK | Other | 1 |
| FYM Capital LLC | Other | 1 |
| Fast Money Loan | Other | 1 |
| Finular Group, Inc. | Other | 1 |
| First Credit Corporation | Other | 1 |
| First Technology Federal Credit Union | Other | 1 |
| Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe | Tribal | 1 |
| Focus Point INC | Other | 1 |
| Funding Metrics LLC | Other | 1 |
| GENTRY FINANCE CORPORATION | Other | 1 |
| GVG Financial Services, Inc | Other | 1 |
| Global Credit & Collection Corporation | Other | 1 |
| Global Trust Management LLC | Other | 1 |
| Gold Star Finance, Inc. | Other | 1 |
| Golden Title Loans LLC | Other | 1 |
| Good News Group, LLC d/b/a Savvy Loans | Other | 1 |
| HLT CHECK EXCHANGE LLP | Other | 1 |
| Halsted Financial Services, LLC. | Other | 1 |
| Home Loan Center, Inc. | Other | 1 |
| JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. | Other | 1 |
| JUSTICE FINANCE COMPANY | Other | 1 |
| John C. Heath, Attorney at Law, PLLC | Other | 1 |
| Kiwi Financial Inc. | Other | 1 |
| Loan South Finance & Tax Service of Troy, LLC | Other | 1 |
| Local Management, LLC | Other | 1 |
| Lockhart, Morris & Montgomery Inc. | Other | 1 |
| Loqbox US Inc | Other | 1 |
| MOUNTAIN AMERICA FEDERAL CREDIT UNION | Other | 1 |
| Momnt Technologies, Inc. | Other | 1 |
| Money Stash, L.L.C. | Other | 1 |
| Moneytree Inc | Other | 1 |
| Monterey Financial Services LLC | Other | 1 |
| NATIONAL FUNDING, INC. | Other | 1 |
| NPG Associates, Inc. | Other | 1 |
| NRA Group, LLC | Other | 1 |
| Netspend Corporation | Other | 1 |
| North Capital Recovery Services | Other | 1 |
| Ogden Holdings, LLC | Other | 1 |
| PNC Bank N.A. | Other | 1 |
| Paramount GR Holdings, LLC | Other | 1 |
| Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC | Other | 1 |
| Prosper Marketplace, Inc. | Other | 1 |
| Red River Credit Corporation | Other | 1 |
| River City Finance Co., Inc. | Other | 1 |
| RockLoans Holdings LLC | Other | 1 |
| Rocket Mortgage, LLC | Other | 1 |
| Roseberry Inc. | Other | 1 |
| Roycroft Management | Other | 1 |
| Rozlin Financial Group, Inc. | Other | 1 |
| SG and Associates | Other | 1 |
| SLM CORPORATION | Other | 1 |
| SUNCOAST CREDIT UNION | Other | 1 |
| Search ROI, LLC | Other | 1 |
| Security Credit Services, LLC | Other | 1 |
| Sher & Shabsin PC | Other | 1 |
| Skopos Financial, LLC | Other | 1 |
| Solar Mosaic LLC | Other | 1 |
| Sunset Solutions Group, LLC | Other | 1 |
| TCN Inc | Other | 1 |
| TOLEDO FINANCE CORPORATION | Other | 1 |
| Texan Credit Corporation | Other | 1 |
| Texan Financial Services Inc | Other | 1 |
| TomoCredit Inc. | Other | 1 |
| Unifin Inc. | Other | 1 |
| United Shore Financial Services, LLC | Other | 1 |
| VANDERBILT MORTGAGE & FINANCE, INC | Other | 1 |
| Value Recovery Holding, LLC | Other | 1 |
| Velocity Portfolio Group | Other | 1 |
| Viva Finance Inc. | Other | 1 |
| W&A Intermediate Co., LLC | Other | 1 |
| WELLS FARGO & COMPANY | Other | 1 |
| Wallace Management Company, LLC | Other | 1 |
| Webcollex, LLC | Other | 1 |
| Wetlands Holdings, Inc. | Other | 1 |
Tribal = ownership documented in a saved source or named in the CFPB company field. Possibly tribal = link suspected but not documented.
What Complaints About Tribal Loans Are About
Consumers choose one issue when they file a complaint. The chart shows, for each issue, the share of complaints that named a documented tribal lender.
Tribal lenders account for 32.8% of complaints about unexpected fees or interest, the most common payday complaint issue, and for 23.8% of complaints from borrowers struggling to pay their loan.
Complaints about unexpected fees or interest make up 50.7% of the complaints naming tribal lenders, 2.1× the rate for all other companies (23.7%). The CFPB's annual report notes that in their responses, some companies stated that they were owned by sovereign tribes and therefore not subject to state regulation.
Share of 2025 payday complaints naming a tribal lender, by issue
- Charged fees or interest you didn't expect32.8%215 of 655 complaints
- Struggling to pay your loan23.8%95 of 400 complaints
- Received a loan you didn't apply for8.2%19 of 232 complaints
- Can't stop withdrawals from your bank account13.1%27 of 206 complaints
- Can't contact lender or servicer10.4%16 of 154 complaints
- Problem with the payoff process at the end of the loan17.0%26 of 153 complaints
- Money was taken from your bank account on the wrong day or for the wrong amount6.5%8 of 124 complaints
- Loan payment wasn't credited to your account1.9%2 of 103 complaints
- Was approved for a loan, but didn't receive the money11.9%12 of 101 complaints
Show all issues
- Incorrect information on your report1.3%1 of 80 complaints
- Improper use of your report5.7%2 of 35 complaints
- Problem with a company's investigation into an existing problem5.9%1 of 17 complaints
- Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes0.0%0 of 9 complaints
- Credit monitoring or identity theft protection services0.0%0 of 6 complaints
- Unable to get your credit report or credit score0.0%0 of 2 complaints
How Tribal Lenders Respond to CFPB Complaints
Companies report to the CFPB how they closed each complaint. The table compares documented tribal lenders with all other companies named in payday complaints.
Tribal lenders closed 97.4% of their complaints with an explanation only, compared with 93.7% for other companies. They reported monetary relief in 4 cases.
Across all companies, 2.0% of 2025 payday complaints were closed with monetary relief, in line with the CFPB's own figure for the year. A response category describes what the company reported; the CFPB does not verify whether the response resolved the problem.
Company responses to 2025 payday complaints
| Response | Tribal | Other | All |
|---|---|---|---|
| Closed with explanation | 97.4% | 93.7% | 2,149 |
| Closed with non-monetary relief | 0.0% | 2.5% | 47 |
| Closed with monetary relief | 0.9% | 2.3% | 46 |
| Untimely response | 1.7% | 1.5% | 35 |
Where Tribal Lenders Draw the Largest Share of Complaints
The table covers the 29 states with at least 25 payday loan complaints in 2025, which together account for 2,065 of the 2,277 complaints. The state is the one the consumer gave.
Among states with at least 25 complaints, the tribal share was highest in New Jersey (40.6% of 69 complaints) and Massachusetts (40.0%). In California it was 28.2%, in Florida 26.1%, in Texas 2.7%; New York had 0 tribal complaints among 35.
In 13 of the 29 states the tribal share was above the national figure of 18.6%. Several states have small totals, so a handful of complaints can move the share considerably. The figures describe complaints, not how many residents of a state borrow from tribal lenders.
Tribal share of 2025 payday complaints by state
| State | Complaints | Tribal | Tribal share |
|---|---|---|---|
| NJ | 69 | 28 | 40.6% |
| MA | 30 | 12 | 40.0% |
| IN | 43 | 13 | 30.2% |
| WA | 43 | 13 | 30.2% |
| CA | 277 | 78 | 28.2% |
| FL | 199 | 52 | 26.1% |
| GA | 115 | 29 | 25.2% |
| MI | 60 | 15 | 25.0% |
| OH | 97 | 24 | 24.7% |
| CO | 26 | 6 | 23.1% |
| AZ | 49 | 11 | 22.4% |
| NC | 46 | 10 | 21.7% |
| LA | 48 | 9 | 18.8% |
| KY | 33 | 6 | 18.2% |
| WI | 33 | 6 | 18.2% |
Show all states
| State | Complaints | Tribal | Tribal share |
|---|---|---|---|
| IL | 74 | 13 | 17.6% |
| NV | 37 | 6 | 16.2% |
| MD | 50 | 8 | 16.0% |
| MN | 25 | 4 | 16.0% |
| OK | 32 | 4 | 12.5% |
| MS | 39 | 4 | 10.3% |
| TN | 70 | 6 | 8.6% |
| AL | 47 | 4 | 8.5% |
| PA | 47 | 2 | 4.3% |
| SC | 55 | 2 | 3.6% |
| TX | 294 | 8 | 2.7% |
| VA | 42 | 1 | 2.4% |
| MO | 50 | 1 | 2.0% |
| NY | 35 | 0 | 0.0% |
Download the Data and Cite This Study
Every table as a CSV file and in one Excel workbook, a short PDF summary and every chart as an image, free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0).
- How companies closed payday loan complaints, tribal vs. other, 2025Company responses to 2025 payday loan complaints for documented tribal-affiliated lenders and for all other companies, as counts and percentages. · 4 rows · CSV, 1 KB
- Payday loan complaints by lender, 2025Every company named in a 2025 CFPB payday loan complaint, with its complaint count, share of all payday complaints, tribal classification and the evidence for it. · 296 rows · CSV, 16 KB
- Tribal lenders' share of payday loan complaints by issue, 2025Payday loan complaints received in 2025 by the issue the consumer selected, split into documented tribal-affiliated lenders and all other companies. · 15 rows · CSV, 1 KB
- Tribal lenders' share of payday loan complaints by state, 2025Share of 2025 payday loan complaints naming a documented tribal-affiliated lender, for every state with at least 25 complaints. · 29 rows · CSV, 1 KB
- All tables in one Excel workbookOne sheet per table plus an About sheet with sources, method and citation · Excel (.xlsx), 28 KB
- Summary to print or forward (3 pages)Short answer, key figures, main chart, findings, method and citation · PDF, 227 KB
Charts for your story
Payday loan complaints by company, 2025
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Share of 2025 payday complaints naming a tribal lender, by issue
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Company responses to 2025 payday complaints
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Tribal share of 2025 payday complaints by state
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How to cite
Goldberg, L. (2026). Tribal Lenders in CFPB Payday Loan Complaints — Share, Lenders, Issues and States (2025) [Data set]. Settlement Insight. https://settlementinsight.com/research/tribal-lenders-share-payday-loan-complaints
BibTeX
@dataset{goldberg_2026_tribal_lenders_share_payday_loan_complaints,
author = {Goldberg, Leonard},
title = {Tribal Lenders in CFPB Payday Loan Complaints --- Share, Lenders, Issues and States (2025)},
year = {2026},
publisher = {Settlement Insight},
url = {https://settlementinsight.com/research/tribal-lenders-share-payday-loan-complaints}
}How We Measured
Checked against published figures
- Payday loan complaints received by the CFPB in calendar 2025, as counted by the CFPB's own Consumer Complaint Database search API: published 2,277, our count 2,277 (exact match).CFPB Consumer Complaint Database API: payday loan complaints received 2025
Full method and limits of the data
We kept complaints with the product "Payday loan, title loan, personal loan, or advance loan" and the sub-product "Payday loan" that the CFPB received between January 1 and December 31, 2025. Complaints about collecting payday loan debt, which the CFPB files under debt collection, are not included. The result, 2,277 complaints, matches the count the CFPB's own complaint search returns for the same filter exactly.
We classified a company as tribal when its tribal ownership is documented in a source we saved: the lender's own website (Spotloan), a federal court decision (Uprova Credit, Big Picture Loans), a tribal government website (Wolf River Development Company), a Bureau of Indian Affairs page (Rosebud Economic Development Corporation), a Washington Department of Financial Institutions alert (WLCC) or a ProPublica investigation (LDF Holdings). 8 further companies are classified because the company name in the CFPB data itself names a tribe or tribal enterprise: Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, Tribal Lending Enterprise, Sulphur Bank Rancheria Enterprises, Kashia Services (Kashia Band of Pomo Indians), Lac Courte Oreilles Financial Services II, Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria, Modoc Tribe Financial Services Authority and Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe. 9 lenders with a suspected but undocumented tribal link, named in 112 complaints, are shown separately as possibly tribal and are not counted in the main share: Minto Financial (Minto Money), Uetsa Tsakits (MaxLend), Post Lake Lending, Robinson Economic Development Corporation, Benht: Economic Development Corporation, Mobiloans, Bison Bucks Lending, Bear Claw Lending (Lucent Cash) and Deer Creek Lending. No other company is counted in the upper bound; the classification of every company is listed in the lender CSV. Complaints are counted by date received (2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31), product 'Payday loan, title loan, personal loan, or advance loan' with sub-product 'Payday loan'; each complaint ID is counted once. Unexpected-fee complaints are those with the issue 'Charged fees or interest you didn't expect', and their tribal share is measured against all 2025 payday complaints with that issue.
The tribal share is the number of complaints naming a tribal company divided by all 2,277 payday loan complaints. The classification and evidence for every company are in the downloadable lender file.
What this data cannot tell you
- The share is a lower bound. Tribal lenders can operate under brand names or through servicers that the CFPB lists under a non-tribal company name, and 9 lenders with suspected tribal links are not counted. Including them would raise the share to 23.5%.
- Complaints are not a measure of lending volume or misconduct. The data do not show how many loans each company makes, so a company with many complaints may simply have many borrowers. Complaint narratives are allegations the CFPB does not verify.
- The public database holds only complaints the CFPB sent to companies and published. The CFPB's annual report gives a rounded figure of about 2,400 payday complaints sent to companies in 2025; our count from the public database is 5.1% lower, and the report does not explain the difference.
- The CFPB publishes a complaint only after the company responds or a set waiting period has passed, so complaints from late 2025 can still be added. By October 2026 such additions are expected to be rare, but counts for December 2025 may change slightly.
- State figures use the state the consumer entered; small state totals make shares volatile. Sub-product labels are chosen by consumers, so some payday-style loans may be filed as installment loans or lines of credit and are not counted here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What share of payday loan complaints are about tribal lenders?
In 2025, lenders with documented tribal ownership were named in 424 of the 2,277 payday loan complaints the CFPB published, or 18.6%. Including lenders with suspected but undocumented tribal ties, the share would rise to 23.5%.
What are tribal loans?
Tribal loans are made by lending companies owned by Native American tribes. Spotloan, for example, describes its owner Ningo Lending as wholly owned by the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and says its lending license is issued by the tribe's lending commission, not by the states where borrowers live.
Are tribal loans legal?
The complaint data do not answer that question. In responses to payday complaints, some companies told the CFPB they were owned by sovereign tribes and not subject to state regulation, while Washington's financial regulator has warned that the Wakpamni Lake Community Corporation's lending businesses are not licensed by the state.
Which payday lender has the most CFPB complaints?
CCF Intermediate Holdings LLC was named in the most payday loan complaints received in 2025, 129. Among tribal lenders, Rosebud Economic Development Corporation led with 77, followed by WLCC with 65.
How many complaints does Spotloan get?
Ningo Lending LLC, which does business as Spotloan, was named in 63 payday loan complaints the CFPB received in 2025. Spotloan states that Ningo is wholly owned by the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.
Do tribal lenders respond to CFPB complaints?
Yes, they file responses like other companies. In 2025, tribal lenders closed 97.4% of their payday complaints with an explanation and 0.9% with monetary relief, compared with 2.3% monetary relief for all other companies.
How many payday loan complaints does the CFPB receive?
The CFPB published 2,277 complaints with the sub-product payday loan that it received in 2025. Its annual report says it received approximately 3,500 payday loan complaints that year and sent approximately 2,400 to companies.
Sources
- Consumer Complaint Database — Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Consumer Response Annual Report, January 1 – December 31, 2025 — Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Consumer Complaint Database API: payday loan complaints received in 2025 — Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Spotloan — Ningo Lending LLC
- Walton v. Uprova Credit, LLC — U.S. District Court (via National Indian Law Library)
- Williams v. Big Picture Loans, LLC — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- Wolf River Development Company — Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin (archived)
- The Wakpamni Lake Community of the Oglala Sioux Tribe - Not Licensed in Washington State — Washington State Department of Financial Institutions
- ILGP Borrower Success Story: Rosebud Economic Development Corporation — Bureau of Indian Affairs
- A Wisconsin tribe built a lending empire charging 600% annual rates to borrowers — ProPublica / Wisconsin Watch
Independent analysis. Settlement Insight is not a law firm and not affiliated with any agency named here. Analysis by Leonard Goldberg, Editor. How we work: methodology, our data.
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