2024 Tribal Lender Rankings

Tribal Lenders

Tribal lenders make quick, simple loans available to people with all credit types. In some cases up to $25K can be deposited into your account by the next business day. In general, people borrow much less as than this as these can be quite and really only make sense for quick, short-term, emergency funding. Their loans are made and regulated by Native American tribes

We review tribal lenders based on their reputation, cost, and features. Reputation considers state licensing and Better Business Bureau scores. Cost is based on terms, fees, and rates. Features include things like credit reporting or fee transparency. We rank them with other state-licensed lenders below. Tribal lenders are identified as a "Tribe Based Lender" under the "Lender status" label.

OppLoans See full review Apply $500 - $4,000 Loan amounts 99% - 199% APRs All Credit type ⓘ Visit OppLoans for product eligibility. Our eligible credit type estimate is a general guide based on FICO® Scores: Credit Type FICO® Score All All Scores Fair 620+ Good 680+ Great 720+ [close] State Licensed Lender Lender status Apply

Check Into Cash See full review Apply $100 - $25,000 Loan amounts 195% - 521% APRs All Credit type ⓘ Visit Check Into Cash for product eligibility. Our eligible credit type estimate is a general guide based on FICO® Scores: Credit Type FICO® Score All All Scores Fair 620+ Good 680+ Great 720+ [close] State Licensed Lender Lender status Apply

Ace Cash Express See full review Apply $100 - $2,000 Loan amounts 175% - 1,029% APRs All Credit type ⓘ Visit Ace Cash Express for product eligibility. Our eligible credit type estimate is a general guide based on FICO® Scores: Credit Type FICO® Score All All Scores Fair 620+ Good 680+ Great 720+ [close] State Licensed Lender Lender status Apply

CashNetUSA See full review Apply $100 - $2,000 Loan amounts 299% - 456% APRs All Credit type ⓘ Visit CashNetUSA for product eligibility. Our eligible credit type estimate is a general guide based on FICO® Scores: Credit Type FICO® Score All All Scores Fair 620+ Good 680+ Great 720+ [close] State Licensed Lender Lender status Apply

LendUp See full review Apply $100 - $500 Loan amounts 155% - 164% APRs All Credit type ⓘ Visit LendUp for product eligibility. Our eligible credit type estimate is a general guide based on FICO® Scores: Credit Type FICO® Score All All Scores Fair 620+ Good 680+ Great 720+ [close] State Licensed Lender Lender status Apply

Cash 1 See full review Apply $100 - $50,000 Loan amounts 168% - 390% APRs All Credit type ⓘ Visit Cash 1 for product eligibility. Our eligible credit type estimate is a general guide based on FICO® Scores: Credit Type FICO® Score All All Scores Fair 620+ Good 680+ Great 720+ [close] State Licensed Lender Lender status Apply

Advance America See full review Apply $50 - $25,000 Loan amounts 36% - 664% APRs All Credit type ⓘ Visit Advance America for product eligibility. Our eligible credit type estimate is a general guide based on FICO® Scores: Credit Type FICO® Score All All Scores Fair 620+ Good 680+ Great 720+ [close] State Licensed Lender Lender status Apply

Cash Central See full review Apply $100 - $5,000 Loan amounts 180% - 740% APRs All Credit type ⓘ Visit Cash Central for product eligibility. Our eligible credit type estimate is a general guide based on FICO® Scores: Credit Type FICO® Score All All Scores Fair 620+ Good 680+ Great 720+ [close] State Licensed Lender Lender status Apply

RISE See full review Apply $300 - $5,000 Loan amounts 60% - 299% APRs All Credit type ⓘ Visit RISE for product eligibility. Our eligible credit type estimate is a general guide based on FICO® Scores: Credit Type FICO® Score All All Scores Fair 620+ Good 680+ Great 720+ [close] State Licensed Lender Lender status Apply

Jora See full review Apply $500 - $2,600 Loan amounts 170% - 349% APRs All Credit type ⓘ Visit Jora for product eligibility. Our eligible credit type estimate is a general guide based on FICO® Scores: Credit Type FICO® Score All All Scores Fair 620+ Good 680+ Great 720+ [close] State Licensed Lender Lender status Apply

Quik Check See full review Apply $100 - $500 Loan amounts 146% - 548% APRs All Credit type ⓘ Visit Quik Check for product eligibility. Our eligible credit type estimate is a general guide based on FICO® Scores: Credit Type FICO® Score All All Scores Fair 620+ Good 680+ Great 720+ [close] State Licensed Lender Lender status Apply

Stilt See full review Apply $1,000 - $35,000* Loan amounts 7.99% - ? APRs All Credit type ⓘ Visit Stilt for product eligibility. Our eligible credit type estimate is a general guide based on FICO® Scores: Credit Type FICO® Score All All Scores Fair 620+ Good 680+ Great 720+ [close] State Licensed Lender Lender status Apply

Check 'n Go See full review Apply $250 - $5,000 Loan amounts 314% - 662% APRs All Credit type ⓘ Visit Check 'n Go for product eligibility. Our eligible credit type estimate is a general guide based on FICO® Scores: Credit Type FICO® Score All All Scores Fair 620+ Good 680+ Great 720+ [close] State Licensed Lender Lender status Apply

Speedy Cash See full review Apply $100 - $2,000 Loan amounts 178% - 680% APRs All Credit type ⓘ Visit Speedy Cash for product eligibility. Our eligible credit type estimate is a general guide based on FICO® Scores: Credit Type FICO® Score All All Scores Fair 620+ Good 680+ Great 720+ [close] State Licensed Lender Lender status Apply

Cash Store See full review Apply $100 - $1000 Loan amounts 313% - 780% APRs All Credit type ⓘ Visit Cash Store for product eligibility. Our eligible credit type estimate is a general guide based on FICO® Scores: Credit Type FICO® Score All All Scores Fair 620+ Good 680+ Great 720+ [close] State Licensed Lender Lender status Apply

Big Picture Loans See full review Apply $200 - $3,500 Loan amounts 35% - 699%* APRs All Credit type ⓘ Visit Big Picture Loans for product eligibility. Our eligible credit type estimate is a general guide based on FICO® Scores: Credit Type FICO® Score All All Scores Fair 620+ Good 680+ Great 720+ [close] Tribe Based Lender Lender status Apply

Blue Trust Loans See full review Apply $100 - $2,500 Loan amounts 782% APRs All Credit type ⓘ Visit Blue Trust Loans for product eligibility. Our eligible credit type estimate is a general guide based on FICO® Scores: Credit Type FICO® Score All All Scores Fair 620+ Good 680+ Great 720+ [close] Tribe Based Lender Lender status Apply

Plain Green Loans See full review Apply $1,000 Loan amounts 300% APRs All Credit type ⓘ Visit Plain Green Loans for product eligibility. Our eligible credit type estimate is a general guide based on FICO® Scores: Credit Type FICO® Score All All Scores Fair 620+ Good 680+ Great 720+ [close] Tribe Based Lender Lender status Apply

Mobiloans See full review Apply $10 - $2,500 Loan amounts 206.14% - 442.31% APRs All Credit type ⓘ Visit Mobiloans for product eligibility. Our eligible credit type estimate is a general guide based on FICO® Scores: Credit Type FICO® Score All All Scores Fair 620+ Good 680+ Great 720+ [close] Tribe Based Lender Lender status Apply

Cash Advance Now See full review Apply $300 - $1,500 Loan amounts 725% APRs All Credit type ⓘ Visit Cash Advance Now for product eligibility. Our eligible credit type estimate is a general guide based on FICO® Scores: Credit Type FICO® Score All All Scores Fair 620+ Good 680+ Great 720+ [close] Tribe Based Lender Lender status Apply

MaxLend See full review Apply $100 to $2,500 Loan amounts 782% APRs All Credit type ⓘ Visit MaxLend for product eligibility. Our eligible credit type estimate is a general guide based on FICO® Scores: Credit Type FICO® Score All All Scores Fair 620+ Good 680+ Great 720+ [close] Tribe Based Lender Lender status Apply

American Web Loan See full review Apply $300 to $2,500 Loan amounts None Listed APRs All Credit type ⓘ Visit American Web Loan for product eligibility. Our eligible credit type estimate is a general guide based on FICO® Scores: Credit Type FICO® Score All All Scores Fair 620+ Good 680+ Great 720+ [close] Tribe Based Lender Lender status Apply

• Rates and fees vary by state. Not all lenders operate in all states. Check each lender's website for up-to-date information.

Who are Tribal Lenders

Tribal lenders offer a similar product to traditional lenders but because they are run under Native American reservations, they operate under different laws than traditional lenders. Tribal lenders are regulated by tribal law instead of state law. This fundamental difference on its own is neither bad nor good but it does have implications. We have historically preferred state-licensed lenders because their regulations are published and monitored by state officials accountable to elected officials. There is also normally deeper case law and history with state lending laws.

Individual tribal laws are generally less available to the public making it difficult to know the laws regulating a tribal lender. This includes law around product terms and enforcement. One interesting feature of tribal lenders is they do not adhere to state interest rate caps. This means the interest rate on their loans can be set how the tribe decides. This means the loans can be very expensive but it also means they can make loans in states where the cap is prohibitively low for lenders to offer these type of loans.

Another advantage, in theory, is that they can operate with lower administrative costs. They do not have the regulatory costs associated with getting and maintaining licenses in every state they operate. In general, we have not seen tribal lenders pass these cost savings on to consumers but with more transparency and increased competition we may see these savings passed on to consumers.

Many tribal lenders are members of the Native American Financial Services Association (NAFSA) a national trade association formed to advocate tribal sovereignty, promote responsible financial services, and provide better economic opportunity in Indian Country. NAFSA promotes best practice standards around lending, operations, advertising, and payments. We support the establishment of this organization and increased transparency but remember NAFSA is a trade organization so, unlike state-regulated traditional lenders, tribes are not legally bound to follow these guidelines.

Tribal lenders may also bring other benefits to society. These lenders often provide a significant positive economic impact on tribes through social giving, education, housing, employment, and youth programs.

Tribal lenders are able to lend money to both tribal and non-tribal borrowers. In fact, in states where short term lending is banned, these tribal lenders are often the only lenders providing borrowers with an option of short-term loans. Most tribal lenders operate as fair lenders but remember these lenders are not regulated by states or state-elected officials so may not have the same restrictions as licensed state lenders.

Tribal lenders make actual loans. They differ from other companies that provide matching services. Tribal lenders actually underwrite and lend money. Sites that provide matching services pass your information on to direct lenders who then make loans. One can distinguish direct lenders from matching services by looking at the fine print of most websites. Matching services will say something like, "the operator of this website is NOT A LENDER." Direct lenders will not include this disclaimer.

Direct versus Matching Service

The advantage of a matching service is that only one application is required to apply to multiple lenders. This can save time but the downside is you are unable to pick the lenders to whom you are applying. This often means the lenders with whom you are matched include unlicensed lenders as well as licensed lenders. Doshound generally sees nothing wrong with a matching service as it can be more convenient but we do strongly prefer licensed lenders to unlicensed lenders. This means if you use a matching service, once you are offered a loan, make sure to evaluate your lender to decide if they are licensed or not. For more information see Direct Lenders or Matching Services

Tribal Loans are Installment Loans

Tribal lenders basically offer installment loans. The loans are typically available to individuals with all types of credit, unsecured, and tied to your pay date. They are generally very easy to qualify for but can be expensive. The loans are paid back over multiple periods with a set payment amount. The payment amount is based on the interest rate, payment periods, and loan amount. Part of each payment pays off interest and another part principal. Once all payments are made the entire loan is paid off.

In the broader sense installment loans include many types of loans such as personal loans, fixed mortgages, auto loans, and student loans. Basically any loan with a fixed payment and finite pay back period are installment loans. Over the last ten years installment loans have become more synonymous with short-term loans. Doshound categorizes installment loans as fixed loans with a term generally less than 2 years. For loans that have a term greater than 2 years see personal loans Personal loans typically have a 2-5 year term, offer larger loan amounts, but are typically require a better credit profile than installment loans.

The next few sections review different features typical of loans offered by tribal lenders.

Secured Or Unsecured

Loans can be secured or unsecured. Secured loans have collateral so, if the borrower fails to repay, the lender can seize the collateral. Secured loans are generally cheaper than unsecured loans. Mortgages and auto title loans are examples of secured loans

The tribal loans reviewed here are all unsecured loans. No collateral is needed. When a borrower fails to pay back an unsecured loan the tribe has no collateral to seize so must rely on attempting to collect on the debt. As a result, the lending decision around unsecured loans depends on evaluating the ability of the borrower to repay the loan. To determine this likelihood of repayment lenders traditionally rely on credit history, expenses, and income.

Paycheck Installment Loans

The loans listed in this section are paycheck-based loans. Payments for these loans occur on your pay date. Unlike normal unsecured loans, these loans do not consider credit history and instead, are based solely on your employment. To increase the likelihood of being repaid tribal lenders require access to your checking account where you receive your paycheck. On your payday, they deduct your loan payments.

Companies offering paycheck tribal installment loans have made these loans very convenient. They are quick, simple, and do not require good credit. This convenience, flexibility, and availability comes at a cost -- these loans are expensive.

How Tribal Installment Loans Work

If tribal installment loans are right for you, the application process can take less than 5 minutes. Typically, the lender requires that you be 18+ years old, employed, and have direct deposit set up with your employer. If approved, cash can be deposited into your account within one business day. This money plus fees must be repaid in full and payments are automatically deducted from your checking account on payday.

If approved the lender will provide a payment plan. For example, $1,000 could have a repayment plan with a ~$125 payment every pay period (14 days) over the next 24 pay periods. In the end ~$1,000 costs ~$2,400. This is cheaper than what you would have to pay if you took out a payday loan for the same timeframe, but clearly not cheap so make sure you really need this loan. See borrow money options for other ideas such as delaying the expense or getting help from a friend.

Licensed Versus Unlicensed Lenders

Tribal lenders are not regulated by your state's laws. They are regulated by federal law. Federal lending laws are generally less stringent and less enforced than state regulations. State-licensed lenders are regulated and monitored by your state so are more closely regulated. To become state licensed, lenders generally must apply, register, and remain compliant in every state in which they operate. Each state has a separate process so the licensing process can be expensive and time consuming. As a result, state-licensed lenders are generally not fly-by-night entities. Instead, they are usually larger more permanent companies.

Tribal lenders operate in states under the assumption they can export laws from their tribe into other states. Tribes refer to formally recognized American Indian Tribes that are generally treated as separate federal entities and operate under their own laws. In the 2010's tribal lenders were very common with tribes partnering with financing partners. The tribes contribute their legal status and the financing partner provides the capital and operations. Over the years the position that tribes or states could export their laws into other states has been challenged and resulted in many tribal lenders closing down but in the late 2010's there has been a resurgence in the growth of tribal-based lenders. Doshound believes in transparent markets, fair regulations, and consumer choice. To the extent, the existence of tribal lenders provides more choice this is a good thing. The creation of the self-regulating Native American Financial Services Association (NAFSA) is also a good thing. We'd like to see continued transparency and enforcement to create safer choices for borrowers. For more information see Payday Loan Laws

Installment Versus Payday Loans

Installment loan payments are spread out over time while payday loans are due at your next pay period. Spreading payments out reduces the amount of individual payments and APR but the total fees paid increases. See Payday Loans or Term Loans for more information. Many consumers prefer installment loans because paying the entire loan at your next pay period, as payday loans require, is often too difficult or impossible and renewing payday loans becomes extremely expensive.