Predatory Lending
Conduct Screen Corporate Misconduct
Companies whose core business or significant revenue line involves extending credit on exploitative terms — payday lenders, title lenders, high-interest installment lenders, and financial institutions with documented patterns of predatory lending to vulnerable populations. The test is the lending terms and targeting, not simply being a lender. Distinct from financial_misconduct (which covers broader consumer financial harm).
12 companies currently excluded under this screen
Excluded Companies (12 total)
Showing 12 of 12 companies excluded under this screen.
| Ticker | Company | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| ARES-PB | ARES MANAGEMENT CORP | Ares Management is a global alternative asset manager whose portfolio companies have been linked to predatory lending practices. The SEC fined Ares for compliance failures, and ViolationTracker docume... |
| AXP | AMERICAN EXPRESS CO | CFPB ordered American Express subsidiaries (2012) to refund $85M to ~250,000 consumers and pay $27.5M in civil penalties for illegal credit card practices spanning the full customer lifecycle: decepti... |
| COF | Capital One Financial | CFPB suit (Jan 2025): cheated consumers out of $2B+ in interest by freezing 360 Savings rates while hiding higher-yield product. Dismissed by Vought admin — conduct documented. ACL ratio >4% confirms ... |
| ECPG | Encore Capital Group Inc | Encore Capital Group, the largest debt buyer and collector in the United States, was sued by the CFPB in September 2020 for systematically violating a 2015 consent order. The CFPB found that Encore an... |
| JXN | Jackson Financial Inc | Jackson Financial Inc. (preferred series JXN-PA) is a major annuity provider whose subsidiary Jackson National Life Insurance Company has a documented pattern of predatory practices targeting elderly ... |
| MET | METLIFE INC | MetLife Bank paid $123.5M to DOJ under False Claims Act for knowingly originating ineligible FHA-insured mortgages (2008-2012). Elder fraud class actions (Cantor v. MetLife) document pattern of defrau... |
| MTB | M&T BANK CORP | M&T Bank paid $64M (2016) to settle DOJ False Claims Act allegations for knowingly originating and underwriting FHA-insured mortgage loans that failed to meet HUD requirements (2006-2011). The bank id... |
| NAVI | NAVIENT CORP | Navient, formerly the student loan servicing arm of Sallie Mae, systematically steered federal student loan borrowers into costly forbearance programs instead of more affordable income-driven repaymen... |
| PRAA | PRA Group Inc | Portfolio Recovery Associates (PRA Group), one of the largest debt collectors in the United States, is a repeat CFPB enforcement target. In 2015, the CFPB found PRA violated the Consumer Financial Pro... |
| SEZL | SEZZLE INC | Sezzle operates a buy-now-pay-later platform that extends credit to consumers who cannot access traditional credit cards or loans, charging late fees on missed installment payments. In January 2020, t... |
| SYF | Synchrony Financial | Synchrony Financial is a major issuer of private-label and co-branded retail credit cards, partnering with merchants to offer store-branded financing. A significant portion of its business involves ex... |
| UPBD | Upbound Group | Upbound Group, Inc. (formerly Rent-A-Center) operates a virtual lease-to-own business primarily through its Acima subsidiary, which the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sued in July 2024. The CFPB... |
The Naughty List
A digest of changes to our exclusion list — new additions, removals, and the evidence behind them. We review the list continuously as new evidence surfaces.
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