About Us

Your CU Partner (yourcreditunionpartner.com) is a consumer-finance website about small-dollar borrowing in the United States. We explain what each state allows for payday loans, cash advances, installment loans and online tribal loans, show what a loan really costs in dollars, and point readers to cheaper licensed options — especially credit unions and their Payday Alternative Loans (PALs).

The name says what we care about most: before you sign with a high-cost lender, you should know whether a credit union near you could lend the same amount for far less.

• State rules — a one-page summary for each of the 50 states: payday loan limits, installment loan APR caps, how online lenders fit state law, and the regulator that licenses lenders and takes complaints.
• Loan guides by type — Payday Loans, Cash Advance, Installment Loans and Tribal Loans, each with a page for every state and for more than 1,200 cities, plus calculators that show the cost of a loan in dollars.
• Local directories — loan company offices, banks, credit unions and pawn shops by state and city, with addresses and phone numbers.
• Practical guides — short articles on how to get a specific amount in a specific city and what it will cost under that state's law.

We build every page from public sources and update them as those sources change.

• State lending laws and state financial regulators for payday and small-loan rules.
• State-by-state surveys of the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) to cross-check installment loan APR caps.
• FDIC BankFind data for banks and bank branches, and NCUA data for credit unions.
• Company websites and public map listings for loan company offices, and Overture Maps data for pawn shops.
• U.S. Census Bureau data for population, household income and rent.
• Federal rules — the Truth in Lending Act (Regulation Z), Regulation E, the Military Lending Act and NCUA rules for PALs — for the protections that apply in every state.

• Facts first: rules, limits and costs come from the sources above, and calculated examples are labeled as examples.
• Costs in dollars, not just percentages, so you can compare a loan with your rent or paycheck.
• Neutral directories: we list licensed businesses as public information and do not rank or review them.
• The cheaper option is always shown, including credit union loans and PALs.
• Plain language and no pressure: no "guaranteed approval" claims and no countdown offers.

Your CU Partner is not a lender, and we do not make loan or credit decisions. We are not representatives, brokers or agents of any lender. The site contains links to third-party websites, and accessing them may result in a commission. If you submit a request through the site, your information is shared with participating lenders, who make their own decisions; submitting a request does not guarantee an offer. Sponsored placements are labeled. Commissions do not change the state rules, costs or directory listings we publish. See our Advertiser Disclosure, Privacy Policy and Terms of Use for details.

Laws, fees and business listings change. If you see an outdated rule, a closed office or any other error, please tell us through our Contact page and we will review it. For questions about a specific loan, contact your lender directly; to report a lender, contact your state regulator or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) at consumerfinance.gov.

Nothing on this site is legal or financial advice. Personal loans are not a cure-all for budget problems — if you have serious financial difficulties, consider talking to a nonprofit credit counselor first.