MaxLend review: is MaxLend legit?

The Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation owns MaxLend, so it lends as a tribal lender.

APR: Not published
Amounts offered: up to $3,750
States: 35 states
Complaints to the CFPB: 134
Enforcement actions: 2

MaxLend on file

Owner: Uetsa Tsakits, Inc. is a tribal corporation belonging to the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation. That is the Three Affiliated Tribes at the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota.
Issued by: Before 2019, Makes Cents, Inc. d/b/a MaxLend issued loans; now Uetsa Tsakits, Inc. d/b/a MaxLend does.
Tribe: Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation
Product: online multi-pay installment loans, typically lasting 9 months for first-time borrowers
Repayment length: New borrowers usually get 9 months to repay. to Gold and Platinum members may take up to 300 days.
Cap on a first loan: $2,000
Credit checks: Independent verification or credit reporting companies may check your information, and approval requires a confirmation call.
Time to get the money: same business day when you pick ACH and complete pre-approval, the e-signature and the confirmation call by 11:45 a.m. ET (possibly as late as 1:30 p.m. ET); if not, the next business day

Taken from what MaxLend publishes, CFPB complaint counts and public enforcement files. All sources are listed at the foot of the page

Good to know about MaxLend

The Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation of North Dakota own this through Uetsa Tsakits, Inc.
Instead of posting APRs, it charges a fee per $100 each pay period (maximum $29.50 bi-weekly for new borrowers)
It will not lend in 16 states, a list it publishes that includes North Dakota, its home.
Top rewards members may borrow up to $3,750 and repay within 300 days, while new customers may borrow up to $2,000.
Borrowers sued in Illinois and Maryland alleging rates up to about 841%; the Maryland suit ended in dismissal.

States where MaxLend lends

MaxLend names 35 states on its own site. Each link opens that state's payday and small-loan rules as general background, not a ruling on MaxLend's own loans, which may come under a different state law or a partner bank. 8 of them cap small-loan rates, marked capped.

States MaxLend lists as off limits: Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia (16 in all).

MaxLend complaints and lawsuits

The CFPB database lists 134 complaints naming Uetsa Tsakits, Inc. d/b/a MaxLend. Most common issues: you were charged fees or interest you did not expect.; you are having trouble paying your loan.; you faced issues with the payoff process when the loan ended.. Check the CFPB count

2022 · US District Court, District of MarylandThe case named Manago v. Cane Bay Partners: borrowers sued MaxLend's alleged operators and tribal officials in a RICO and usury class action over its loans, which was dismissed in 2022. Source
2023 · US District Court, Northern District of IllinoisSlate versus A borrower sued Makes Cents, MaxLend's former lending entity; before ruling on dismissal or arbitration, the court permitted discovery regarding its tribal immunity claim. Source

Want a cheaper loan than MaxLend?

Talk to a specialist about lower-cost choices in your state, credit union loans included. Talk to someone about cheaper options: 855.947.5189

This line reaches a debt and loan options specialist. We are not MaxLend and cannot reach your MaxLend account.

MaxLend alternatives: loans like MaxLend

Lender	Type	APR	Amounts	States named	CFPB complaints
MaxLend (this record)	Tribal lender	–	up to $3,750	35	134
Plain Green Loans	Tribal lender	–	$200 to $4,500	–	None filed
Minto Money	Tribal lender	–	$200 to $3,000	41	207
Uprova	Tribal lender	from 34.5%	$300 to $5,000	–	458
Lendumo	Tribal lender	–	up to $2,500	–	1,016

– means the company does not publish it. Complaint counts are totals, not rates: a bigger company draws more. Open any name for its full record.

Questions about MaxLend

Is MaxLend legit?

The Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation owns MaxLend, a tribal lender. Records show 2 government or court actions, while the CFPB complaint database lists 134 complaints against Uetsa Tsakits, Inc. doing business as MaxLend.

Who owns MaxLend?

Uetsa Tsakits, Inc. is a tribal corporation belonging to the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation. That is the Three Affiliated Tribes at the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. Uetsa Tsakits, Inc. d/b/a MaxLend is the lender named on the loan (Makes Cents, Inc. d/b/a MaxLend issued loans before 2019).

Does MaxLend check your credit?

MaxLend says: approval includes a confirmation call, and independent verification and/or credit reporting companies may verify information.

How fast does MaxLend send the money?

MaxLend says: same working day if the confirmation call, pre-approval and e-signature are finished by 11:45 a.m. ET with ACH chosen (the cutoff may run to 1:30 p.m. ET). Otherwise, the next working day.

Has MaxLend been sued or fined?

2022, US District Court, District of Maryland: the case Manago v. Cane Bay Partners: alleged operators and tribal officials faced a borrower class action claiming usury and RICO violations over MaxLend loans; dismissal happened in 2022. 2023, US District Court, Northern District of Illinois: the case Slate v. A borrower sued Makes Cents, MaxLend's former lending entity; before ruling on dismissal or arbitration, the court permitted discovery regarding its tribal immunity claim.

Where the MaxLend facts come from

Owner: The Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation fully owns and controls it.; Highest loan amount for new customers.; Highest loan amount for top rewards members.maxlend.com
Name of the lender shown on the website.; States where the tribe will not issue loans.; List of states continues.maxlend.com
Uetsa Tsakits operates MaxLend from Parshall, North Dakota.uetsatsakits.com
A federal court noted the loan portfolio shifted from Makes Cents to Uetsa Tsakits in 2019.govinfo.gov
Maximum repayment time for Gold and Platinum tiers.maxlend.com
The total count of complaints filed against Uetsa Tsakits, Inc. d/b/a MaxLend within the CFPB database.consumerfinance.gov
The case titled Manago v. Cane Bay Partners: the highest rate that was claimed.; The case named Manago v. Cane Bay Partners: sample loan.; The case named Manago v. Cane Bay Partners: final result.govinfo.gov
Slate versus Makes Cents: order issued May 17, 2023.law.justia.com