What LendNation does

LendNation is a privately held short-term consumer lender operating through its parent entity QCHI LLC, headquartered in Lenexa, Kansas. Founded in 1985, the company provides small-dollar credit and ancillary financial services to underbanked consumers with less-than-perfect credit across 13 US states. Its core product set spans Payday Loans ($50 to $1,000 depending on state), Installment Loans with terms up to 36 months (up to $4,000 in Nevada), Title Loans using vehicle collateral (up to $2,000 in Nevada), open-ended Lines of Credit (up to $10,000 in Kansas), Cash Advances, Personal Loans, and Short Term Loans, with Check Cashing provided as a non-lending ancillary for unbanked customers.

The company operates a hybrid distribution model combining 300+ physical retail storefronts with an online origination portal at app.lendnation.com, complemented by state-specific landing pages that drive local search traffic. Its proprietary technology stack includes an automated loan origination platform with instant decisioning and a distinctive Instant Debit Card Funding feature that loads approved proceeds onto a borrower's debit card within roughly 30 minutes of approval — a differentiator for unbanked customers without access to traditional deposit funding. Pricing and product caps are set state-by-state in response to varying usury and small-dollar lending regulations, and cross-referral relationships with peer lender Speedy Cash extend reach into Canada.

Revenue is generated through transaction fees and recurring interest income across the five core credit products and the check-cashing fee stream. The model resembles a retailer of credit more than a fintech: store-level acquisition, in-person relationships, and walk-in traffic drive origination in core markets (Kansas, Kentucky, Idaho, Missouri, Alabama), with the online channel providing incremental reach. The company reports cumulative originations of 5.6 million approved loans and approximately 14,000 monthly active customers, supported by a corporate headcount of 51-100 employees (store-level labor appears largely non-employee). No acquisitions, external funding rounds, or institutional investors are disclosed; LendNation is operated as an independent owner/founder-managed LLC.

Name

LendNation

Legal name

QCHI LLC

Website

https://lendnation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

LendNation is a privately held short-term consumer lender (legal entity QCHI LLC, founded 1985, Lenexa, KS) serving underbanked consumers with payday loans, installment loans, title loans, and lines of credit through 300+ retail storefronts across 13 US states and an online origination platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Lending (Short-term and Installment)

NAICS

Other Nondepository Credit Intermediation (52229)

SIC

Personal Credit Institutions (6141)

akta.pro primary industry

Single-Payment Payday Loans (FSAKAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cash Advance (Online & Storefront) (FSAKAMAC), Small-Dollar Short-Term Installment Loans (Non-payday) (FSAKAMAI), Installment Payday Loans (FSAKAMAB), Emergency & Short-Term Installment Personal Loans (Unsecured) (FSAKAAAH), Short-Term Loan Servicing & Collections (Payday/Title) (FSAKAMAO)

Keywords

• Consumer lending
• Payday loans
• Installment loans
• Title loans
• Check cashing

Headquarters

HQ city

Lenexa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices36 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Payday Loan Interest and Fees: Short-term cash advances typically between $100-$1,000 with repayment due on borrower's next payday, generating revenue through interest and origination fees
2. Installment Loan Revenue: Longer-term loans repaid over time in equal payments with terms up to 36 months, generating interest income over the repayment period
3. Title Loan Interest: Vehicle-collateralized loans offering larger amounts with lower interest rates, repaid over scheduled installments
4. Check Cashing Fees: Service fees for cashing various check types including payroll, tax refunds, commercial, and government checks without requiring a bank account
5. Line of Credit Fees: Open-ended credit lines allowing borrowers to draw up to approved limits with flexible repayment terms

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

LendNation originates and services short-term and installment consumer loan products—payday loans, installment loans, vehicle title loans, and lines of credit—primarily to underbanked consumers with less-than-perfect credit, accepting applications in-person at 300+ US storefronts and online via its proprietary platform. Loans are typically funded within 30 minutes, often via instant debit card deposit, and the company also offers ancillary services such as check cashing.

Product overview

LendNation is a short-term consumer lending company offering a portfolio of loan products and financial services at 300+ physical store locations across 13 US states and through online/digital channels. The core lending products include Installment Loans (longer-term fixed payments), Payday Loans (short-term due at next paycheck), Title Loans (vehicle-collateralized), and Lines of Credit (flexible open-ended access). Supporting services include Check Cashing (cash checks without a bank account) and Instant Debit Card Funding (direct-to-debit-card disbursement within 30 minutes). Online and in-store applications are available, with emphasis on serving customers with less-than-perfect credit.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Payday Loans (including Cash Advances and Short Term Loans) Small, short-term cash advances typically between $50 and $1,000 (varying by state) due on or around the borrower's next payday, providing quick cash to underbanked consumers for minimal time in debt. Includes state-specific variants: Kansas $50-$500, Nevada $50-$1,000, Louisiana $50-$720, Kentucky up to $500.
• Installment Loans Longer-term loans repaid over time in fixed bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly payments with terms up to 36 months, offering lower interest rates than payday loans. Nevada installment loans range $100-$4,000 over 90 days to 24 months.
• Title Loans Vehicle-collateralized loans offering larger amounts, longer terms, lower interest rates, and lower payments than payday loans; borrowers retain use of their vehicle during the loan. Nevada title loans range $100-$2,000.
• Line of Credit Flexible, open-ended revolving loan with a set credit limit that borrowers can draw from as needed; no fixed term, with the ability to repay and re-borrow repeatedly. Kansas offerings include payment-secured lines up to $4,000 and vehicle title-secured lines up to $10,000.
• Check Cashing Service that allows customers to cash various check types—including payroll, commercial, government, tax refunds, insurance, loan proceeds, money orders, personal, and unemployment checks—without requiring a bank account, with extended hours compared to traditional banks.
• Instant Debit Card Funding Funding delivery option that transfers approved loan proceeds directly onto the borrower's debit card, typically making funds available within 30 minutes of approval without requiring the borrower to have a bank account or visit one.
• Personal Loans Short-term personal loans designed for individuals needing cash for various purposes, available both online and in-store at LendNation locations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5.6M+ approved loans historically
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• InFinminorOthersInFin Alliance partnership showing LendNation's participation in the InFin financial services network, indicated by logo presence on footer
• Speedy CashminorOthersReferral relationship for Canadian payday loans - LendNation directs Canadian customers to Speedy Cash for services in Canada

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Speedy Cash: Speedy Cash is a direct competitor offering payday, installment, title loans, and lines of credit across multiple US states and online. LendNation already has an established cross-referral relationship with Speedy Cash for Canadian customers, underscoring how directly the two compete and overlap.
• Advance America: Advance America is one of the largest US storefront payday and installment lenders, operating more than 1,000 locations across over 20 states. It competes with LendNation for the same underbanked, short-term credit customer across overlapping states such as Kansas, Missouri, and Louisiana.
• ACE Cash Express: ACE Cash Express operates a national network of payday, installment, and title loan stores plus online origination, serving subprime consumers. It is a directly comparable multi-channel short-term lender with overlapping product mix and target customer.
• Check Into Cash: Check Into Cash is a multi-state payday, installment, and title lender with both storefront and online channels. It targets the same underbanked demographic as LendNation and overlaps in core Southeastern and Midwestern states.
• PLS Financial Services: PLS Financial Services operates hundreds of retail locations offering payday loans, check cashing, and money transfer services to underbanked consumers. Its check-cashing plus small-dollar lending model closely mirrors LendNation's full-service retail footprint.
• Check 'n Go: Check 'n Go is a multi-state payday and installment lender with retail locations and online origination serving subprime borrowers. It directly overlaps with LendNation's payday, installment, and online product mix across similar states.
• World Finance: World Finance specializes in installment personal loans to underbanked consumers through a large US branch network. While more installment-focused than LendNation, it serves the same end customer with similar underwriting on small-dollar, higher-APR credit.
• EZ Money: EZ Money is a regional payday and installment lender with storefronts across the Midwest, including several LendNation states. It is a smaller but directly comparable competitor serving the same short-term, small-dollar credit niche.

Broad incumbents

• Cash America / FirstCash: FirstCash (formerly Cash America) operates the largest US pawn lending footprint plus former payday operations, with hundreds of locations across the US and Latin America. It is a broader incumbent in adjacent short-term, small-dollar consumer credit with overlapping customer demographics.

Emerging players

• Earnin: Earnin is an earned-wage access (EWA) app providing no-fee cash advances against upcoming paychecks to underbanked workers. It targets the same borrower segment as LendNation but via a mobile-first model, representing a key emerging competitive threat rather than a direct storefront peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LendNationFinancial
• Instagraminstagram.com/lendnationfinancial
• Xx.com/lendnationus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lendnation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 LendNation