What Answers Etc does

Answers Etc, founded in 1989 and headquartered in North Richland Hills, Texas, is a privately held software vendor that builds and supports Tier3 LMS, an enterprise Loan Management System purpose-built for the alternative consumer lending industry. The platform unifies payday loan, title loan, installment loan, check cashing, and online lending operations within a single multi-channel system spanning counter, lobby tablet, call center, and online portal environments, with audit trails and reporting visibility across all channels. Architecture is security-first, with the company having spent its initial development year on foundational access controls and encryption before writing business logic, and includes role-based access control and centralized identity management.

The company serves storefront and internet lenders across North America and Central America, including named clients such as Integra Financial Services, Kashia Services, Northgate Prospera, Inner City Check Cashing, and Adelantos (Guatemala City). Go-to-market is a consultative enterprise field sales motion driven by personalized demo requests, with marketing primarily through the company website and client testimonials. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; the business model is SaaS subscription with client relationships spanning 15–25 years, indicating stable recurring revenue and high switching costs. Leadership is founder-led, with Tim Mackin as Founder/Owner and Director of Sales & Marketing and Kyle Silcox as Chief Technical Officer, across a headcount of 11–50 employees.

Name

Answers Etc

Website

https://answersetc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Answers Etc, founded in 1989, builds Tier3 LMS, an enterprise loan management system for payday, title, installment, check cashing, and online lenders across North and Central America. The platform serves storefront and internet lending operators through a unified multi-channel SaaS subscription.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Loan Management Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Collections, Recovery & Debt Management Platforms (FSAGAHAI)

Keywords

• Loan management software
• Online lending platform
• Payday loan software
• Check cashing software
• Title loan software

Headquarters

HQ city

North Richland Hills

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. SaaS Subscription (Tier3 LMS): Subscription-based enterprise software licensing for loan management system. The company has maintained long-term client relationships spanning 15-25 years, indicating recurring revenue model. Pricing described as competitive and fair in client testimonials.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Answers Etc develops and sells Tier3 LMS, an enterprise Loan Management System that consolidates payday loan, title loan, installment loan, check cashing, and online lending workflows into a single multi-channel platform serving counter, lobby tablet, call center, and online portal operations. The software is delivered as a subscription-based solution to storefront and internet lenders, with proprietary security-first architecture, compliance workflows, audit trails, and onboarding/data conversion services.

Product overview

Tier3 LMS is a single unified Loan Management System platform designed for the financial services industry. The core product combines all loan operation types (Payday Loan Software, Title Loan Software, Installment Loan Software, Check Cashing Software, and Online Lending) into one system supporting multiple channels: counter, lobby tablet, call center, and online portal. The platform includes built-in security-first architecture, compliance workflows, data conversion tools, and onboarding specialists. The system is positioned as an enterprise-grade solution serving storefront and internet lenders across North America and Central America.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tier3 LMS (Loan Management System) Enterprise Loan Management System (LMS) that consolidates payday loan, title loan, installment loan, check cashing, and online lending operations into a single multi-channel platform supporting counter, lobby tablet, call center, and online portal workflows. Sold to storefront and internet lenders across North America and Central America as a subscription-based enterprise software with compliance workflows, audit trails, and data conversion/onboarding services.
• Power Check Check cashing and advances tool referenced by Central American customers (e.g., Adelantos Guatemala City) as a key part of their Answers Etc relationship for managing check verification, advances, and cash disbursement operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 11+ years of continued client use and satisfaction
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• BeSmartee: Digital lending platform enabling banks and credit unions to launch digital loan origination. Competes for the same online-lender customers but with a more modern, API-first architecture.
• Upstart: AI-driven lending marketplace partnering with banks and credit unions. Tangentially adjacent — uses technology to serve similar consumer lending demand but operates as a marketplace rather than a back-office LMS.

Broad incumbents

• Temenos: Global banking software platform with lending, onboarding, and compliance modules serving retail and commercial banks. Adjacent in lending software at a much larger enterprise scale.
• nCino: Cloud banking platform serving commercial, retail, and mortgage lending at financial institutions. Broader portfolio but overlapping consumer lending technology with Answers Etc's LMS.
• Jack Henry & Associates: Core banking and lending technology provider to community and mid-sized banks. Overlaps in lending software but addresses a different buyer segment (depository institutions vs. non-bank lenders).
• FIS (Fidelity National Information Services): Large incumbent financial technology provider offering lending, payments, and core banking solutions. Competes indirectly through broader lending platforms and digital channels.

Direct peers

• TSI (Total Systems Inc.): Specializes in alternative financial services software (payday, title, installment, check cashing), an almost exact vertical and product overlap with Answers Etc's niche focus.
• Abrigo: Banking software for compliance, lending, and risk targeted at community banks and credit unions. Overlaps in lending operations and compliance workflows relevant to Answers Etc's regulated-lender customers.
• MeridianLink: Provides lending and deposit account opening platforms for financial institutions, including consumer lending workflows. Comparable SaaS architecture serving similar lender personas.
• LoanPro: Cloud-based loan servicing and lending software for consumer and SMB lenders, including non-prime and short-term credit. Direct overlap with Answers Etc's payday, installment, and online lending LMS offering.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AnswersETC
• Facebookfacebook.com/AnswersETC

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Answers Etc