Great Plains Lending was an online installment lender created in 2011 by the Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians, a federally recognized tribe based in Red Rock, Oklahoma. It made small-dollar loans, typically $100 to $1,000 on a first loan, repaid in installments that lined up with the borrower’s paydays. Most of its customers had thin or damaged credit and needed emergency cash that a bank or card issuer would not provide.
The brand did a few things well. Verified applications could be funded by the next business day, early payoff carried no penalty, and borrowers saw their full payment schedule before signing. The weak spots were bigger. Sample disclosures on its own website showed APRs between roughly 328% and 449%, several states treated the loans as illegal, and its back-office partner, Think Finance, ended up at the center of class actions that cancelled every Great Plains loan.
So should you consider this lender? Not for new credit. Borrowers reported in spring 2017 that the application had stopped working and that the support line sent them to another company, and Trustpilot now lists the Great Plains Lending website as closed. If you need a loan today, compare the active lenders below. If you borrowed from Great Plains in the past, the login, complaints, and FAQ sections cover what still affects you.
Sites Like Great Plains Lending
Ninja Loans Online
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Olive The Money
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Great Plains Lending Pros and Cons
Pros
- Wholly owned by a federally recognized tribe and licensed by the Otoe-Missouria Consumer Finance Services Regulatory Commission
- Installment repayment instead of one lump-sum payday payment
- No prepayment penalty, so paying early cut finance charges
- Payment schedule, APR, and total cost shown before the borrower signed
- Next-business-day direct deposit for loans approved and verified by 6 p.m. ET, or a mailed check
- Several ways to pay: scheduled ACH debit, debit card, check, or money order
- Free access to Financial U, an online money-skills course for customers
Cons
- Published sample APRs of about 328% to 449% on a $500 loan
- First loans capped at $1,000
- Payments followed the pay cycle, usually biweekly, with no simple monthly option
- Not licensed in states such as Connecticut and Washington, both of which took action or warned consumers
- Stopped taking new applications in 2017; the website is no longer active
- Former borrowers reported in 2023 that the phone line and support email no longer worked
- Tied to the Think Finance litigation, which ended with all Great Plains loans cancelled
Is Great Plains Lending Legit?
Great Plains Lending was a real company, not a fake website. The Otoe-Missouria tribal council passed a resolution creating it on May 4, 2011. Its operating agreement named the tribe as the sole member, gave the Tribal Council the power to appoint and remove the board, and directed profits to the tribe. Loans were issued in the name of Great Plains Lending, LLC, with a listed mailing address of 1050 East 2nd Street, Box 500, in Edmond, Oklahoma.
Who actually ran the business is where things get complicated. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau alleged that Think Finance, a Texas company, handled marketing, website hosting, call routing, and customer service training for Great Plains, Plain Green, and MobiLoans. Plaintiffs in the later class actions called this a rent-a-tribe arrangement. Think Finance went through bankruptcy and settled with the CFPB in 2020 without admitting the allegations.
Regulators pushed back early. In August 2013, the New York Department of Financial Services sent cease-and-desist letters to 35 online lenders, and Great Plains was on the list. The Federal Trade Commission received 461 complaints about Great Plains and its sister brand American Web Loan in a single year starting in February 2013. A federal appeals court also ruled that Great Plains had to answer the CFPB’s investigative demands despite its tribal status.
Connecticut fined the tribe’s chairman $700,000 and Great Plains and sister lender Clear Creek Lending a combined $800,000 in 2015 for unlicensed lending above the state rate cap. The tribe appealed, and in 2021 the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that Great Plains was an arm of the tribe protected by sovereign immunity. That win addressed immunity from state penalties. It did not settle whether the loans themselves complied with state usury laws.
Pennsylvania took a harder line. The state attorney general sued Think Finance in 2014, alleging that Great Plains, Plain Green, and MobiLoans charged effective rates as high as 448% to about 80,000 Pennsylvanians between 2011 and 2014. The settlements voided all remaining balances. Washington’s financial regulator issued a 2022 alert after residents complained of excessive fees and interest, and noted that Great Plains was not licensed there.
Reputation tracks those findings. Great Plains holds a 1.7 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot from 1,343 reviews, and the platform no longer accepts new reviews because the company’s site has closed. The Better Business Bureau lists it as not accredited, and at least one complaint there was closed because the BBB could not locate the business.
The fair verdict: Great Plains Lending was a legitimate tribal lending entity whose loans were legally contested, heavily criticized, and eventually cancelled. Washington’s June 2026 alert on Otoe-Missouria lending lists three other brand names and leaves Great Plains off entirely. Treat any website, caller, or email using the Great Plains name today with caution, and never share bank login details or your Social Security number with it.
Great Plains Lending Tribal Loan Amounts, Rates, Terms
Great Plains offered one product: an unsecured online installment loan. First-time borrowers could qualify for $100 to $1,000. The site said cost depended on loan size and payment history, and reviewers describe loans of $1,200, which suggests that returning customers in good standing could be offered more.
Rates were high even by tribal lending standards. One sample on the Great Plains site showed a $500 loan at 448.78% APR repaid in 12 biweekly payments of $101.29, or $1,215.48 in total. Another showed $500 at 328.11% APR over 16 biweekly payments of $74.18, which adds up to $1,186.88. In both cases the borrower would repay well over twice the amount borrowed if the loan ran its full term.
Terms ran from about 4 to 15 months depending on the amount. Payment dates were tied to the borrower’s pay dates, so most people paid every two weeks. Borrowers could pay extra or settle the full balance at any time without a penalty, and the company openly encouraged early payoff to reduce finance charges. Late, skipped, or returned payments could trigger additional fees.
Funding was not instant and not same day. Applications approved and verified by 6 p.m. ET could be deposited as early as the next business day. Borrowers who asked for a paper check by mail were told to allow 7 to 10 days. None of these terms is available now, because Great Plains no longer makes loans.
How to Apply for a Great Plains Lending Loan
The Great Plains Lending application was fully online and took four steps:
Complete the secure online form with personal details, income, pay schedule, and checking account information.
Get a decision within seconds. Approval was conditional and subject to verification of the information provided.
Choose an amount up to the approved maximum, then review the APR, payment count, and total cost before e-signing.
Receive the money by direct deposit as soon as the next business day, or by mailed check in about 7 to 10 days.
That process no longer exists. Any page offering a “Great Plains Lending application” today is not the original lender. If you want a similar small-dollar installment loan, use the comparison list near the top of this review, and before you sign with anyone, confirm which tribe or state licenses the lender, what the APR and total repayment will be, and whether your state allows the loan.
Great Plains Lending Login
While Great Plains was active, the online account was the borrower’s main tool. After signing in, a customer could check the remaining balance and upcoming payment dates, make an extra payment or pay off the loan early, and review the loan agreement. A feature called My Payment Methods let borrowers add or update debit cards for future payments. The same account opened the Financial U learning center and its reward program.
Today the Great Plains Lending login does not work. There is no portal to sign in to and no password to reset, because the website is closed. Borrowers began reporting problems in 2017, and by 2023 reviewers said the old customer service number, (877) 836-1506, did not work and messages to the support email bounced.
If you still have questions about an old account, the settlements matter more than the login. The Think Finance class action agreements cancelled all Great Plains loans and called for negative trade lines to be removed from credit reports. Pull your free reports at AnnualCreditReport.com and dispute any Great Plains entry that still shows a balance. If a collector calls about a Great Plains debt, ask for written validation before paying anything.
For complaints, Washington regulators point Otoe-Missouria borrowers to the tribe at 580-723-4466 or 877-692-6863. You can also file with the CFPB at 1-855-411-2372 or with your state attorney general.
Great Plains Lending Reviews
Satisfied customers tended to praise speed and transparency. Several Trustpilot reviewers said the application was simple, the answer came quickly, and funds arrived by the next business day. Long-time borrowers liked that they could pay ahead without a penalty and that the payment schedule showed every amount up front. A few small business owners said they used Great Plains as a short cash-flow bridge and paid it off within weeks.
The negative side is louder. Most low ratings focus on how much the loans cost over a full term, with borrowers describing repayment totals two to three times the amount they received. Others criticized rude phone agents, automatic debits after they had asked to change banks or delay a payment, and accounts that moved to collections faster than expected. Later reviews, from 2017 onward, mostly ask the same question: why did the company stop lending without telling anyone?
The bigger rating picture is weak. The Trustpilot score sits at 1.7 out of 5 across 1,343 reviews, with no new reviews in the last 12 months. On SuperMoney, five of seven users who voted said they would not recommend the Great Plains installment loan.
Great Plains Lending Complaints
APR and total cost drive most complaints. One borrower wrote that a $1,200 loan required payments of $288 a month for 31 months. Another said only about $67 of the first $1,800 in payments went to principal. Numbers like these come straight from the APRs that Great Plains disclosed, and many borrowers said they did not grasp the total until months into repayment.
Fees and bank debits come next. Reviewers described repeated withdrawal attempts on accounts with low balances, which led to overdraft charges from their own banks. Others said they asked to switch accounts or pause a payment after a job loss or a hurricane, were told it would be handled, and then saw the debit go through anyway.
Collections and customer service complaints overlap. Some borrowers said one missed payment sent the account to collections before they could set up a catch-up plan. Others described agents who hung up or refused to transfer them to a manager. Loan size drew fewer complaints, but some borrowers wanted more than the $1,000 first-loan limit.
Availability became the final complaint. When the application went down in 2017, borrowers said the website and phone line pushed them to American Web Loan, where some were declined. In 2023, people who believed they still had a balance said they could not reach anyone to pay it off. For most of them, the settlement terms already answered that question.
Who Should Consider Great Plains Lending?
Because Great Plains no longer issues loans, these lists focus on who can still use this information and who should look elsewhere.
Good for
- Former borrowers checking whether an old balance was cancelled under the Think Finance settlements
- Anyone who sees a Great Plains debt on a credit report and needs grounds for a dispute
- People researching a tribal lender’s history and regulatory record before borrowing
- Borrowers who liked the installment format and want to compare similar active lenders listed above
Not ideal for
- Anyone who needs a new loan now, since Great Plains is not lending
- Credit union members who may qualify for a payday alternative loan capped at 28% APR
- Borrowers who want full state-law protections, including rate caps where their state has them
- Households that cannot comfortably carry biweekly payments for several months
- Anyone contacted by a stranger demanding payment on a Great Plains loan without written validation
Great Plains Lending FAQ
Is Great Plains Lending legit?
Great Plains Lending was a legitimate tribal lending company wholly owned by the Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians and formed under tribal law in 2011. Its loans, however, drew regulatory action in Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, and class action settlements later cancelled every Great Plains loan. The company stopped lending in 2017, so any site using its name today deserves caution.
Is Great Plains Lending still in business?
No. Borrowers reported that the application stopped working in spring 2017 and that calls were redirected to American Web Loan. Trustpilot now marks the Great Plains website as closed, and Washington regulators’ June 2026 alert on Otoe-Missouria lending no longer lists the brand. If you need a loan, compare the active lenders in the Sites Like section above.
Is Great Plains Lending a direct lender?
Yes. Great Plains Lending, LLC funded loans in its own name rather than passing applications to other lenders. Regulators and class action plaintiffs argued that Think Finance, a non-tribal Texas company, handled much of the marketing, website hosting, and customer service behind the scenes. Great Plains maintained that the tribe owned and controlled the business from day one.
How much could I borrow from Great Plains Lending?
First-time borrowers could qualify for $100 to $1,000, depending on income, verification results, and other underwriting factors. Reviewers mention loans of $1,200, which suggests that returning borrowers with a good payment record could be offered more. Because Great Plains stopped lending in 2017, no amount is available from the company today.
Did Great Plains Lending check credit, and could I apply with bad credit?
Great Plains marketed its loans to underserved borrowers, including people with bad credit, but it never advertised no credit check loans. Every application went through a review, and approval was conditional on verifying the borrower’s information. No lender, Great Plains included, can honestly offer guaranteed approval. Today, borrowers with damaged credit need to compare active lenders instead.
How long did Great Plains Lending approval take?
The website returned a decision within seconds, but it was a conditional approval that still required verification. Funding was not instant or same day. Loans approved and verified by 6 p.m. ET could be deposited as soon as the next business day, while mailed checks took roughly 7 to 10 days to arrive.
How does the Great Plains Lending login work now?
It doesn’t. The website is closed, so there is no account to sign in to and no password to reset. When the portal was active, borrowers used it to view balances, schedule or prepay payments, and manage debit cards. Former customers should now rely on their credit reports and the settlement terms rather than the old login.
Does Great Plains Lending have an app?
We found no record of a Great Plains Lending mobile app for Android or iOS. Borrowers handled applications, payments, and account details through the website, which worked on phone browsers. Since the site has closed, any app using the Great Plains name today should not be trusted with your personal or banking information.
What is the Great Plains Lending phone number?
Great Plains listed (877) 836-1506 as its customer service number and [email protected] as its email. Borrowers reported in 2017 that the line redirected them to another lender, and in 2023 that neither the phone nor the email worked. For complaints about Otoe-Missouria lenders, Washington regulators list the tribe’s numbers: 580-723-4466 and 877-692-6863.
Do I still owe money on a Great Plains Lending loan?
Probably not. The Think Finance class action settlements cancelled all loans made by Great Plains Lending and called for negative trade lines to be deleted from credit reports. If a Great Plains balance still appears on your report, dispute it with the credit bureau. If a collector contacts you, request written validation of the debt before paying.
Is Great Plains Lending available in my state?
Not in any state. Great Plains stopped accepting new applications in 2017. Even when it was active, states such as Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Washington treated its loans as unlicensed lending. If you are comparing tribal lenders now, check each lender’s list of eligible states and your own state’s rules before applying.
What are sites like Great Plains Lending?
Sites like Great Plains Lending offer online installment loans for borrowers with fair or poor credit, often with biweekly payments tied to payday and no prepayment penalty. The lenders listed near the top of this review are active alternatives. Compare APR, total repayment, funding time, and state availability before you choose one.