How We Review Lenders

This page explains how the Auto Cash Title Loans editorial team researches and writes its lender reviews and comparisons. We are an information site, not a lender, and our reviews are general information, not a recommendation to borrow.

What we look at

• Licensing. Whether the company holds the license your state requires, and how to check it with the state regulator. We tell readers to confirm the license before applying, because an unlicensed loan can leave you with fewer protections.
• Cost transparency. Whether the lender shows the APR and total finance charge clearly, as the Truth in Lending Act requires before you sign, and what it says publicly about rates, fees and loan amounts.
• Repayment terms. Single-payment vs. installment loans, rollover and extension practices, and prepayment penalties.
• Repossession and default practices. Grace periods, notices, and how the company says it handles late payments, as far as it discloses them.
• Complaint records. Themes in public complaints, from sources such as the CFPB complaint database, the Better Business Bureau and state attorneys general. We report patterns, not individual anecdotes.
• Availability. Which states the company says it serves, and whether it lends online, in stores or both.

Our sources

We rely on the lender’s own published information, state licensing records, regulator and court records, and public complaint data. We attribute company claims to the company (“according to its website”) and date-stamp terms that change. We don’t publish figures we can’t verify, such as unconfirmed rates, store counts or approval odds.

What we don’t do

• We don’t take loan applications or make credit decisions.
• We don’t publish invented ratings, reviews or quotes.
• We don’t present title loans as risk-free. Every review covers the cost and repossession risk, and points to cheaper alternatives.

Compensation

We may receive compensation from some lenders we review, and that can influence which companies we link to. It does not change the facts we report about licensing, costs and complaints. Reviews of companies we have a commercial relationship with are marked with an advertiser disclosure. See our Advertiser Disclosure.

Keeping reviews current

Lender terms and state laws change. We revisit reviews periodically and when we learn of changes. If something is out of date, please let us know. See all our lender reviews and comparisons.