加载中...
Skip to Main Content
CA.gov
Twitter Facebook Linkedin Instagram YouTube
Translate this website:
Logo for the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation The Department of Financial Protection and Innovation
  • Home
  • Consumers
    • Resources for yourself
    • Resources for helping others
    • Explore by Topic
    • Resources for
    • All Consumers

    Resources for yourself

    • Submit a Complaint
    • Consumer Alerts
    • Events
    • Search Who We Regulate
    • Subscribe to Newsletter
    • Glossary of Financial Terms
    • How to Get Help

    Resources for helping others

    • Grant Programs
    • Educational Materials
    • Investor Center - Educating Your Community
    • California Coalition for Financial Empowerment 

    Explore by Topic

    • Bank Accounts & Services
    • Credit & Credit Reports
    • Crypto
    • Fraud Protection
    • Housing
    • Investing
    • Loans
    • Managing Debt
    • Personal Finance
    • Saving Money
    • Student Loans
    Young woman sits at the kitchen table to make a call while writing notes in a book

    Report to DFPI

    Do you believe you've been a victim of unlawful, unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices by an individual or financial service provider?

    Submit a Complaint

    Explore Consumers
  • Regulated Industries
    • Industrial Banks
    • Public Banks
    • Credit Unions
    • Trust Companies & Departments
    • Digital Financial Assets
    • Franchises
    • Capital for Business
    • Broker-Dealers and Investment Advisors
    • Payday Lenders
    • Small Dollar Loans
    • Insurance Premium Finance
    • Residential Mortgage Lenders
    • Mortgage Loan Originators
    • Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Program
    • Escrow Agents
    • Student Loan Servicers
    • Private Student Lending
    • Money Transmitters
    • Debt Collectors
    • Check Sellers, Bill Payers and Proraters
    • Student Debt Relief
    • Self-service Portal (DOCQNET)
    • Forms
    • Important Notices
    • All Regulated Industries

    Banks and Credit Unions

    • Commercial Banks
    • Industrial Banks
    • Public Banks
    • Credit Unions
    • Trust Companies & Departments

    Securities and Investment

    • Securities
    • Franchises
    • Capital for Businesses
    • Broker-Dealers & Investment Advisers
    • Digital Financial Assets
    • VCC Reporting Program

    Non-Bank Financial Services

    • Money Transmitters
    • Debt Collectors
    • Check Sellers, Bill Payers & Proraters
    • Covered Persons
      • Debt Settlement
      • Student Debt Relief Services

    Lending, Borrowing, and Credit

    • Consumer & Commercial Loans
    • Payday Lenders
    • Insurance Premium Finance
    • Income-Based Advances (Earned Wage Access)

    Home and Property Financing

    • Residential Mortgage Lenders & Servicers
    • Mortgage Loan Originators
    • Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE)

    Escrow

    • Escrow Agents

    Education Financing

    • Student Loan Servicers
    • Postsecondary Education Financing

    Business Services

    • Search Who We Regulate
    • Self-service Portal
    • Forms
    • Pending Applications
    • Report a Cybersecurity Incident
    • Protecting the Financial Rights of Domestic Violence Survivors
    Black Female Executive Presents at a whiteboard to a Group

    Supporting Innovation

    At the Office of Financial Technology Innovation (OFTI), we help FinTech businesses grow and develop in ways that are both responsible and responsive.

    Learn More about OFTI

    Explore Regulated Industries
  • Rules & Enforcement
    • How we enforce the law
    • All Rules & Enforcement

    Regulation

    • How We Regulate
    • Search Who We Regulate
    • Laws & Regulations
    • Legal Process Information
    • Opinion Letters by Subject

    Enforcement

    • How We Enforce the Law
    • Browse Actions & Orders

    Consumer Services

    • How We Help Consumers
    • Submit a Complaint
    Businessman speaking speech during conference

    Help Shape Regulation

    Public participation is critical to the development of the laws and regulations that guide this work.

    Explore Rules & Enforcement
  • News & Reports
    • Consumer Insights
    • Press Releases
    • Monthly Bulletins
    • Educational Materials
    • All News

    Automobile Title Loans: What Consumers Need to Know

    Jan 29, 2026

    Older Latino couple looking at bills and making a budget together.

    6-Step Financial Plan for 2026

    Jan 22, 2026

    monthly bulletin logo

    Monthly Bulletin – January 2026

    Jan 15, 2026

    For Media

    • Press Releases

    Consumer Updates

    • Consumer Alerts
    • Events
    • Consumer Connection Newsletter
    • Subscribe to DFPI

    Industry Updates

    • Monthly Bulletin
    • Reports
    • Statistics
    • Important Notices

     

    A man reads a newspaper

    Media Inquiries

    For questions, interview requests with a DFPI expert, or to receive our Press Releases, Members of the media can reach us at [email protected].

    Explore News & Reports
  • About
    • About DFPI
    • What We Do
    • DFPI Divisions and Offices
    • Careers
    • DFPI Divisions and Offices
    • Division of Consumer Financial Protection
    • Consumers
    • Division of Corporations and Financial Institutions
    • Enforcement
    • Financial Services Office
    • Office of Financial Technology Innovation
    • Legislation Division
    • Legal Process Information
    • All About
    Couple meeting with financial planner

    Our Mission

    Serve Californians by effectively overseeing financial service providers; enforcing laws and regulations; promoting innovation and fair and honest business practices; enhancing consumer awareness; and protecting consumers by preventing potential marketplace risks, fraud, and abuse.

    About DFPI

    • What We Do
    • Leadership
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
    • History
    • Submit a Public Records Act Request

    Divisions and Offices

    • Administration
    • Consumer Financial Protection
    • Consumer Services
    • Corporations & Financial Institutions
    • Enforcement
    • Financial Services
    • Financial Technology Innovation
    • Information Technology Services
    • Legal
    • Legislation
    • Public Affairs
    • Ombuds
    Explore More
  • Submit a Complaint
Mature indian man shaking hands with financial advisor at home.

Loans

In the world of finance, loans are like the air we breathe. Like air, loans are all around us, so we sometimes forget just how essential they are to our nation’s economy and to our aspirations for comfort and security.

Consumer loans come in all shapes and sizes. As you might imagine, they form an enormous sector of the economy that grifters and scammers can find irresistible. In California, DFPI is central in ensuring lenders operate fairly, transparently, and in compliance with state laws and regulations. And that’s something that can help every Californian breathe easier.

Featured Resources

Black Girl uses laptop and writes notes

Checking Your Credit – What You Need to Know

Reviewing your credit report can help protect your credit history from mistakes, errors, or signs of identity theft. The DFPI strongly encourages you to pull your report annually, so there are no surprises when you need to open a new account or use your credit for an important purchase, such as a car or home.

Young Female African American student with textbooks walking through the city

Automobile Title Loans: What Consumers Need to Know

Exercise caution before borrowing money through an automobile title loan. Read this first.

Mother and daughter putting coins into piggy bank

New Year, New Financial Goals

Follow these eight tips to help you set your financial goals for the coming year and create a plan for successfully achieving them

Young woman listening to a presentation

Useful Terms

Amortization

Amortization allows you to pay off a loan via regular payments that are applied to both the principal and interest. Make sure you have your loan’s amortization schedule so you know how each payment contributes to reducing the loan balance.

Annual Percentage Rate (APR)

The Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is your total yearly cost of borrowing. Your APR includes both interest payments and any additional fees or charges associated with the loan.

Grace Period

The grace period is a stretch of time when you can pay your balance in full without incurring any interest charges.

Interest Rate

Your interest rate represents the cost a lender charges you for letting you use its money. It is the annual percentage of the total loan amount that you have to pay to the lender on the money you’ve borrowed, in addition to repayment of the principal.

Principal

Your principal is the original amount of money borrowed, separate from interest and fees. As you pay down your loan, part of each payment goes toward your principal and another part goes toward interest.

Other Useful Links:

  • Protect your money. Know your rights: This resource should be your first stop when it comes to protecting your money and knowing your rights in California. Find numerous educational resources and important contacts in the event you think you’ve been taken advantage of.
  • Bureau of Consumer Protection: The Bureau of Consumer Protection collects and investigates reports from consumers of unfair and fraudulent business practices, suing companies and people who break the law, developing rules to maintain a fair marketplace, and educating consumers and businesses about their rights and responsibilities.
  • Industries Regulated by DFPI: What may sound like an impossibly dry and boring web page is actually a valuable and even fascinating guide where you can learn about how the financial industry in California actually works.
  • Debt: A Guide for New Americans: If you come from a culture where cash is king, debt may sound forbidding, but managed correctly, debt can help you achieve your American dreams. If you need more guidance in understanding credit, check out Consumer Financial Education: Credit and Credit Reports or check out our CalMoneySmart grantees that specialize in financial education and empowerment.

Other Recent Consumer Alerts and Insights

Consumer Insights

Automobile Title Loans: What Consumers Need to Know

Jan 29, 2026

Consumer Insights

Automobile Title Loans: What Consumers Need to Know

Jan 29, 2026

consumer alert

Alerts

CCG & Associates and EZ Loan Falsely Posing as a California-licensed debt collection entities

Dec 23, 2025

The DFPI has received reports of entities using the names CCG & Associates and EZ Loan posing as debt collectors and contacting consumers.

consumer alert

Alerts

Sham Letter Impersonating DFPI Requests “Security Deposit” for Crypto Mining Activities

Dec 5, 2025

The DFPI has been alerted to a scam involving sham letters and emails impersonating the Department.

Stay Connected

  • Subscribe
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linked In
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Resources and Publications

  • News
  • Consumer Alerts
  • Press Releases
  • Events
  • Reports
  • Regulated Industries
  • Actions & Orders
  • Laws & Regulations

Industries we regulate

  • Commercial Banks
  • Industrial Banks
  • Public Banks
  • Credit Unions
  • Trust Services
  • Securities
  • Franchises
  • Capital for Businesses
  • Broker-Dealers & Investment Advisers
  • Money Transmitters
  • Debt Collectors
  • Check Sellers, Bill Payers & Proraters
  • Consumer & Commercial Loans
  • Payday Lenders
  • Insurance Premium Finance
  • Residential Mortgage Lenders
  • Mortgage Loan Originators
  • Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE)
  • Escrow
  • Student Loan Servicers
California 175 year logo

Resources and Publications

  • News
  • Consumer Alerts
  • Press Releases
  • Events
  • Reports
  • Regulated Industries
  • Actions & Orders
  • Laws & Regulations

Industries we regulate

  • Commercial Banks
  • Industrial Banks
  • Public Banks
  • Credit Unions
  • Trust Services
  • Securities
  • Franchises
  • Capital for Businesses
  • Broker-Dealers & Investment Advisers
  • Money Transmitters
  • Debt Collectors
  • Check Sellers, Bill Payers & Proraters
  • Consumer & Commercial Loans
  • Payday Lenders
  • Insurance Premium Finance
  • Residential Mortgage Lenders
  • Mortgage Loan Originators
  • Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE)
  • Escrow
  • Student Loan Servicers
California 175 year logo
  • Back to Top
  • Accessibility
  • Language Access Process
  • Site Map
  • Conditions of use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Help
  • Contact Us
Copyright © State of California