Our Review Methodology

Integra Credit USA is an independent editorial review site. This page explains how we research subprime lenders, how we arrive at ratings, what data sources we rely on, and how we handle corrections. If you find something we got wrong, please tell us.

How we rate a lender

Our editorial rating is a 1–5 score (0.1 increments) that reflects our team's overall assessment of whether a lender is a reasonable choice for the typical borrower in its target segment. It is not a buy/sell recommendation and does not account for individual financial circumstances. The score weighs eight dimensions:

  1. Rate transparency (15%) — Does the lender publish full APR ranges, fee schedules, and state-specific pricing without requiring a soft-pull first?
  2. Cost competitiveness (20%) — How do the APR and total-cost-of-credit figures compare to comparable lenders serving the same credit tier?
  3. Loan structure fairness (15%) — Prepayment penalties, origination fees, late fees, and term flexibility.
  4. Underwriting practices (10%) — Does the lender use responsible credit assessment or does it rely on predatory indicators?
  5. Funding reliability (10%) — Does the lender deliver on stated funding timelines? Are there consistent delays reported by borrowers?
  6. Customer service quality (10%) — Measured by BBB complaint resolution rate, representative review themes, and public response to regulator inquiries.
  7. Regulatory record (10%) — State enforcement actions, CFPB complaints, FTC settlements, and pending litigation.
  8. Credit-building value (10%) — Does the lender report to major bureaus? Does on-time payment help the borrower's long-term credit?

How we collect data

Our research team uses the following sources, in order of priority:

  • Primary lender disclosures — Loan agreements, Truth-in-Lending disclosures, rate-and-fee schedules filed with state regulators.
  • State regulator filings — Consumer finance commissioner reports, enforcement actions, and annual exam summaries where publicly available.
  • Federal data — CFPB Consumer Complaint Database, FTC enforcement archive, SEC filings where the lender is publicly traded or SEC-registered.
  • Representative borrower reviews — Aggregated review themes from Trustpilot, BBB, Google Reviews, and the CFPB complaint database. We never fabricate quotes and we always attribute source.
  • Industry comparables — Published APR ranges from peer lenders (OppLoans, NetCredit, Avant, LendingPoint) checked quarterly.

Our freshness policy

All rate ranges, loan amounts, state availability, and APR brackets on our site are verified quarterly against primary lender disclosures. When a material change is detected (new state added, APR cap changed, product discontinued), the affected pages receive an updated lastReviewed date within 72 hours of verification.

Non-rate factual content (regulator information, methodology explanations, consumer protection details) is reviewed annually unless a material event (new regulation, enforcement action) triggers earlier update.

Corrections and reader feedback

If you find a factual error — an incorrect APR range, a wrong state listing, a misquoted regulation — please contact us. Our standing commitments:

  • Verified errors are corrected within 72 hours of notification.
  • Material corrections (APR, fees, availability) carry a dated correction notice at the bottom of the affected page.
  • Corrections that change our editorial rating trigger a lastReviewed update and a note in our site changelog.

Editorial independence

Integra Credit USA earns affiliate commissions when readers apply through our forms. This revenue model does not influence our ratings. Specifically:

  • We rate lenders we do not have affiliate relationships with alongside those we do, using the same framework.
  • Our editorial team is not compensated based on application volume, approval rates, or commission revenue.
  • No lender has pre-publication review of our content. All drafts are internal until publication.
  • If we recommend a competitor's product over the one we earn commission from, we do so because the methodology points that way.

See our full advertising disclosures for how we handle affiliate relationships per FTC 16 CFR Part 255.

What our ratings don't measure

Our ratings are a general assessment of a lender's product quality relative to peers. They do not account for individual borrower circumstances. In particular, our rating does not consider:

  • Your personal credit profile or approval odds
  • Whether you should take out a loan at all (that depends on your situation and alternatives)
  • State-specific availability for your location (check the states page)
  • Post-origination servicing issues specific to one customer

For personalized guidance, please consult a nonprofit credit counselor or financial advisor. We are a research and comparison site, not a financial advice service.

Integra Credit USA Editorial Team
Research & Analysis

Our four-person team researches subprime consumer lending, verifies rate disclosures against state regulator filings, and tracks APR changes across all 24 states where Integra Credit operates. We publish only what we can source — no sponsored rankings, no fabricated reviews, no invented author personas.

✓ 4 researchers ✓ 36 published guides ✓ FTC 16 CFR 255 compliant
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