One case produced real relief for Plain Green borrowers. Relief in this industry is almost always limited to loans taken inside a specific window, and the settlement sites that would let you check are usually gone. The dates below are the part that decides whether it reaches you.
The cases
In re Think Finance / Gibbs v. Rees
settlement~$1B total relief; $384M CFPB distribution
After Think Finance’s 2017 bankruptcy, settlements delivered roughly $1 billion in aggregate relief across Plain Green, Great Plains Lending and MobiLoans — cancelling pre-2016/2017 loans and deleting tradelines. The CFPB later distributed $384 million to 191,000 borrowers.
✓ Produced relief for borrowers
Gingras v. Think Finance
rulingArbitration clauses unconscionable
The Second Circuit held that tribal sovereign immunity did not bar suit against tribal officers and that Plain Green’s tribal arbitration clauses were unenforceable and unconscionable — a foundational anti-immunity precedent borrowers still rely on.
✕ No payout borrowers can claim
What to do if you are still being collected from
- Check your loan date first. Relief in this industry is bounded by a window, and the boundary is where people lose. A Mountain Summit loan from February 2021 was not cancelled while its sister brands' were; a Lac du Flambeau loan after 1 October 2023 falls outside the $1.4 billion Fitzgerald cancellation.
- Check your state before you negotiate. In nine states, loans above the rate cap are void — nothing is owed regardless of the contract or any settlement. See where tribal loans are void.
- Do not pay to make it stop. A payment can restart the statute of limitations on a debt that may already be unenforceable. It is the most expensive reflex in debt collection.
- Demand written validation within 30 days of first contact: the original agreement, the full payment history, and proof the collector owns the debt. Chains of sale on tribal loans are frequently incomplete.
- Revoke ACH authorisation in writing — to the lender and, separately, to your bank. Telling only one of the two is the common mistake.
Our full walkthrough is in how to get out of a tribal loan, and can tribal lenders sue you covers what they can and cannot actually do.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a lawsuit against Plain Green?
Yes — 2 cases touch Plain Green, including In re Think Finance / Gibbs v. Rees, Gingras v. Think Finance. 1 of them produced borrower relief.
Do I still owe my Plain Green loan?
Possibly not — In re Think Finance / Gibbs v. Rees produced relief covering Plain Green. Read the dates below carefully: relief in this industry is almost always limited to a specific window. Outside it, your state's rate cap decides — in nine states these loans are void and nothing is owed.
Can I claim money from a Plain Green settlement?
A claims process existed at thinkfinancesettlement.com. Check whether it is still open — these sites are decommissioned once distribution completes, and several in this industry are now blank pages.