Our Methodology

1. How payment examples are calculated

Every monthly payment on this site uses the standard amortization formula: P = A × r ÷ (1 − (1 + r)⁻ⁿ), where A is the amount borrowed, r is the APR divided by 12, and n is the number of monthly payments. Total repaid is P × n; total cost of credit is that total minus A. We round to the cent. Bi-weekly schedules, which many lenders use, produce slightly different figures; our tables are monthly for comparability.

Example: $500 at 390% APR over 6 months → r = 390% ÷ 12, n = 6, P ≈ $199.34, total ≈ $1,196.04.

2. How the APR range is set

The published range (250%–750%) is the lowest and highest APR disclosed in the rates-and-terms pages of lenders in our network as of November 5, 2026. The representative example (390%) sits inside that range and is used for every worked example so pages are comparable. We update the range when any network lender changes its published rates, and no less than quarterly.

3. How lenders enter the network

Wholly owned by a federally recognized tribe listed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, with the tribe and its regulatory authority named on the lender's site and in the loan agreement
Truth in Lending Act disclosure (APR, finance charge, total of payments) shown before e-signature
No application, origination or prepayment fees
Compliance with the Military Lending Act
Funds its own loans (direct lender) — no brokers or lead resellers

4. How lender reviews are written

Lender review pages quote amount ranges, APRs, terms and fees from the lender's own published rates page or disclosures, with the date we checked them. Where we rely on a third-party review for a figure the lender does not publish, we say so and link it. We do not accept payment for review placement, and a lender's presence in our network does not change its review.

5. Review schedule and corrections

Every page carries a "Last reviewed" date. Money pages ($300, $500, $1,000, rates and fees) are re-checked monthly; guides and state pages quarterly. Material changes are logged in the page's change log. To report an error, email [email protected]; verified errors are corrected within two business days.

6. Sources we rely on

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (consumerfinance.gov) — Regulation Z, small-dollar lending research
Bureau of Indian Affairs — list of federally recognized tribes
Native American Financial Services Association — member standards
32 CFR Part 232 — Military Lending Act
Each lender's published rates-and-terms and disclosure pages