Is Eagle Advance legit?

Who is behind Eagle Advance

The lender's site states that EagleAdvance.com is owned and operated by Eagle Advance, an economic development arm wholly owned and controlled by the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel. Its mailing address is 21977 Hwy 79 #645, Santa Ysabel, CA 92070. The BBB lists May 31, 2017 as the date the business started.

The same tribe is tied to other online lending brands. Washington State's regulator lists Bison Cash, Lucent Cash, Hidden Meadow Lending and Deer Creek Lending as businesses that say they are owned by the tribe.

How to verify it yourself

1. Look up the tribe in the Bureau of Indian Affairs Tribal Leaders Directory. A lender that will not name its tribe is a red flag; this one does.
2. Type the address yourself: eagleadvance.com. Lookalike sites exist for many lenders.
3. Call the number on the lender's own site, 888-659-6987, and ask for the APR and total of payments before you sign.
4. Read the governing-law and dispute sections of the agreement.

What tribal ownership means for you

Eagle Advance says its loans are governed by federal law and the law of the Tribe, not the law of the state where you live, and that it does not waive sovereign immunity. In practice:

• State interest-rate caps and state lending licenses generally do not apply.
• Disputes usually go through the process in your agreement instead of your state's courts.
• Federal rules still apply, including Truth in Lending cost disclosures.
• The lender does not accept applications from every location, and the list can change without notice.

Signs you are dealing with an impostor

Scammers borrow real lenders' names. Walk away if someone using the Eagle Advance name:

• asks for a fee, gift card or "insurance payment" before funding a loan;
• contacts you first by text or social media with a guaranteed approval;
• asks for your online banking username and password;
• uses an email address or website that is not on eagleadvance.com.

This site is not Eagle Advance either. We are an independent loan-request service, and we never charge borrowers a fee.