1F Cash Advance

What 1F Cash Advance does

1F Cash Advance LLC is a U.S.-based online and storefront short-term lender founded in 2019 and headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. The company provides small-dollar cash advances and installment loans, ranging from $100 payday products repayable in 14–31 days to installment loans of $100–$5,000 with terms of 2–24 months, and offers specialized variants including tribal, no-credit-check, second-chance, and high-risk personal loans. Distribution combines a self-serve website (1firstcashadvance.org), the FinHub iOS mobile app, phone-based contact center, and 80+ physical storefront locations across 37 states, serving underbanked, bad-credit, gig-economy, and single-mother borrowers who lack access to traditional bank credit.

The underlying technology stack is conventional rather than differentiated: an online application portal with soft credit inquiries that do not affect FICO scores, alternative credit bureau verification, ACH transfer processing, and same-day funding (with 15–30 minute instant funding at select banks). 1F Cash Advance operates primarily as a lead-generation and connection platform linking applicants to a network of state-licensed direct lender partners rather than underwriting all loans on its own balance sheet. Compliance includes CCPA and self-attested GDPR-aligned data practices and state-specific APR caps (e.g., 36% in New Mexico), with APRs on underlying products ranging from 16% to as high as 740% depending on state and product type.

The business model is a transactional fee model: revenue is generated through per-$100 fees on payday loans (e.g., $15 per $100, equivalent to roughly 391% APR on a 14-day loan), interest and origination fees on installment loans, and partner economics from the lender network. The company reports 565,000+ Americans served and 3M+ loans originated since inception, with pricing varying materially by state due to divergent regulatory caps. Ownership is privately held and bootstrapped with no disclosed external institutional investors, led by CEO Latoria Williams; the company rebranded from its original legal name 1FirstCashAdvance Financial Help LLC and has no subsidiaries, parent company, or disclosed M&A activity.

Name

1F Cash Advance

Legal name

1F Cash Advance LLC

Website

https://1firstcashadvance.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

1F Cash Advance is a U.S. online and storefront short-term lender serving underbanked Americans with payday loans ($100–$1,000) and installment loans ($100–$5,000). Operating across 37 states via 80+ storefronts and a digital platform, the company connects subprime borrowers with state-licensed direct lender partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Lending (Payday and Installment Loans)

NAICS

Other Nondepository Credit Intermediation (52229), Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (52231), Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522)

SIC

Personal Credit Institutions (6141), Loan Brokers (6163)

akta.pro primary industry

Cash Advance (Online & Storefront) (FSAKAMAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Single-Payment Payday Loans (FSAKAMAA), Small-Dollar Short-Term Installment Loans (Non-payday) (FSAKAMAI)

Keywords

• Payday loans
• Installment loans
• Cash advance lending
• Bad credit loans
• Small dollar lending

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulder

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Payday Loans: Short-term cash advances of $100-$1,000 repaid on next payday (14-31 days). Revenue generated through flat fees per $100 borrowed (e.g., $15 per $100), resulting in APRs up to 740% depending on state regulations.
2. Installment Loans: Larger loans of $500-$5,000 repaid over 2-24 months in fixed monthly installments. Revenue from interest and origination fees with APRs ranging from 16% to 490% depending on state and credit profile.
3. Tribal Loans: Loans offered through tribal lender partnerships targeting Native borrowers and those with poor credit, operating under tribal sovereignty with potentially higher APRs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

1F Cash Advance is an online and storefront consumer lender that originates and connects borrowers with short-term cash advance (payday) loans of $100–$1,000, installment loans of $100–$5,000, and specialty credit products such as tribal loans, no-credit-check loans, and same-day funded loans. Loans are underwritten using soft credit checks and current income, and are distributed through a website, mobile app, phone channel, and 80+ physical storefront locations across 37 states. Revenue is generated from per-transaction fees, origination fees, and interest charges, with APRs ranging from 16% to 740% depending on product type and state regulation.

Product overview

1F Cash Advance is an online and storefront lending platform offering a comprehensive portfolio of short-term and installment loan products. The core offering consists of payday loans ($100-$1,000, 2-4 week terms) and installment loans ($100-$5,000, 2-24 month terms), both available online and at 80+ physical store locations across 37 states. The platform specializes in serving underbanked borrowers with poor credit through products including tribal loans, second chance loans, and no credit check options. Same-day funding is available for qualified applicants. The mobile app extends access to loan comparison tools. The company positions itself as a licensed loan provider connecting borrowers with direct lender partners in their respective states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Payday Loans

Quantifiable outcome

• 3M+ loans issued since 2019
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• State-Licensed Lender PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor1F Cash Advance connects borrowers with a network of licensed lender partners in their respective states. All loans are subject to approval upon meeting standard underwriting criteria. The company acts as a lead generation and connection platform, matching applicants with appropriate lenders based on state residency and eligibility.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Enova International: Enova International is a publicly-traded online lender (subprime consumer and SMB) whose brands (including NetCredit) compete in the same installment loan category with similar APR ranges, though Enova operates at significantly larger scale and broader scope.

Direct peers

• Check Into Cash: Check Into Cash is a payday and installment lender with both online and storefront distribution across dozens of states, providing nearly identical products ($100-$1,000 payday, larger installment) to underbanked consumers.
• MoneyMutual: MoneyMutual operates as a marketplace/lead-generation platform connecting borrowers with payday and installment lenders — closely mirroring 1F Cash Advance's stated role as a lead generation and connection platform for state-licensed lender partners.
• CashNetUSA: CashNetUSA is an online-only direct lender offering payday and installment loans to bad-credit borrowers across 30+ states, serving as a comparable digital-first peer with overlapping product economics and target customers.
• World Finance: World Finance (World Acceptance Corporation) operates a national storefront network of installment and personal loan branches targeting underbanked consumers, with comparable ticket sizes, term structures, and store-based distribution.
• Speedy Cash: Speedy Cash is a direct competitor offering payday loans, installment loans, and title loans through online and storefront channels across multiple U.S. states, serving a nearly identical underbanked customer base with comparable loan products and pricing.
• Advance America: Advance America operates one of the largest U.S. networks of payday and installment loan storefronts combined with an online platform, directly competing with 1F Cash Advance in the same customer segment and product categories across overlapping states.

Emerging players

• Lendbuzz: Lendbuzz is an emerging online lender using alternative data to serve near-prime and subprime consumers and auto dealerships, representing a partial overlap with 1F's installment loan and underbanked customer focus but with distinct product categories.
• Dave: Dave is a mobile banking app offering cash advances of up to $500 with low fees, directly competing for 1F's gig-economy and underbanked customers through a digital-first experience that avoids triple-digit APRs.
• Earnin: Earnin is an earned-wage-access app that provides small-dollar advances against accrued wages without mandatory fees, competing for the same underbanked segment with a fundamentally different (lower-cost) model that pressures 1F's payday economics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/1stCashAdvance
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@1fcashadvance
• Facebookfacebook.com/1FCashAdvance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1f-cash-advance-llc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 1F Cash Advance