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Responsible lending

Eight things we do that cost us leads. On purpose.

A loan-connection service is paid when a loan funds, which is exactly why the rules below are written down. Each one is checkable on this site: the pages name cheaper options, the calculators show the cost in dollars, and the self-check further down will tell you not to borrow if that's the honest answer.

Every number before the signature.

APR, payment, total repaid, the dates and any fee, on one screen, before you accept. If a lender in our network hides one, they leave the network.

$0 to apply, $0 to walk away.

Seeing offers is a soft inquiry. Declining costs nothing and isn't reported. Nobody calls to talk you back in.

Sized to the paycheck, not the ask.

Lenders in our network size the loan to income and bank history. A $5,000 request on a $2,400 income comes back smaller, and we think that's correct.

No rollovers.

A short-term loan is repaid or converted to installments. Paying a fee to push the balance to next month, the payday-store mechanism, isn't offered.

No prepayment penalty, anywhere.

Interest runs on the balance. Pay early, pay less. Every page that shows a payment says so.

Cheaper options listed on purpose.

Fee-free apps for small gaps, credit-union PALs, hospital financial assistance, utility arrangements. If one fits, we say take it, and we lose the lead.

The $100 FrontPay cash advance isn't ours.

joinfrontpay.com is a different company. We say so on every page that mentions it rather than borrow its search traffic quietly.

We tell you when not to borrow.

A recurring monthly shortfall is a budget problem. The self-check below will say so to your face.

The four-question self-check.

The same four things a careful lender asks, asked of yourself first. Answer honestly; nobody sees this but you.

Would the monthly payment stay under about 12% of your take-home?On $3,000 a month, that's $360. Check a payment
Is this a one-time bill, not a gap that shows up most months?A recurring shortfall is the one thing a loan makes worse.
Have you tried the free routes for this bill?Biller plan, hospital assistance, utility arrangement, a fee-free app for a small gap.
Is this the only new loan or advance you're taking this month?Two repayments on one payday is how one problem becomes two.
Your result

Answer the four questions.

The result updates as you go. Three outcomes: borrow, borrow less, or don't borrow yet, with the reason.

See your offer The route finder

The box every offer must show you.

Federal law (TILA) requires four numbers in a standard box before you sign. Read them in this order; if any is missing or you can't find it, don't sign and tell us.

  1. 1APR: the cost as a yearly rate, the number to compare across offers.
  2. 2Finance charge: the dollar cost of the credit over the whole term.
  3. 3Amount financed: what you actually receive, after any fee deducted up front.
  4. 4Total of payments: amount financed plus finance charge; what leaves your account in all.
Federal Truth in Lending disclosureSample
1Annual percentage rate35.99%The cost of your credit as a yearly rate.
2Finance charge$513.71The dollar amount the credit will cost you.
3Amount financed$2,500.00The amount of credit provided to you.
4Total of payments$3,013.71What you will have paid after all scheduled payments.

Payment schedule: 12 monthly payments of $251.14 beginning 12/01/2026. Prepayment: no penalty. Late charge: see contract. Security: none.

If the answer was "don't borrow yet".

Three places that help with the underlying problem, free or close to it.

Nonprofit credit counseling

NFCC member agencies review the budget, negotiate with creditors and set up debt management plans. First session free.

nfcc.org · 800-388-2227
211

Local emergency assistance for rent, utilities, food and medical bills, by county. One call, several referrals.

Dial 2-1-1 · 211.org
Your biller, before the due date

Hospitals, utilities, landlords and most lenders have hardship options that only exist if you ask before you're late.

Phone · today

Responsible lending
questions

More in the full FAQ.

What does "responsible lending" mean at FrontPay?
Eight specific commitments, listed above, that we hold ourselves and the lenders in our network to: full cost before signature, no fee to apply or decline, loans sized to income, no rollovers, no prepayment penalties, cheaper alternatives listed first, honesty about the other FrontPay, and telling you when a loan is the wrong tool.
How do you make money if you steer people away?
Lenders pay us a referral fee when a loan funds. Sending someone to a $0 app for a $60 gap costs us a lead we wouldn't have kept anyway: that borrower comes back in a worse position or not at all. The ones we do connect are likelier to repay, which is what keeps lenders in the network.
What should I do if I can't make a payment?
Call the lender before the due date, not after; most will move a date or split a payment once with no fee if you ask early. If the problem is bigger than one payment, a nonprofit credit counselor (NFCC member agencies, free or low cost) can set up a plan. Who to contact for what
Are these loans expensive?
Compared with a credit card or a credit union, yes, and we say so. Compared with the payday store, the overdraft fees or the rollover loop they replace, no. The APR on your offer is the real price, and the pages here show it in dollars next to the alternatives so you can decide.
Who regulates this?
Lenders are licensed in the states where they lend and follow TILA (the cost disclosure), ECOA (no discrimination, including by income source), FCRA (credit reporting) and state small-loan law, which sets the caps you see on the states page. We follow the FTC's rules on advertising and lead generation and the CFPB's guidance on fair treatment.

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