Northcash Watchlist
Fort Belknap Indian Community (Island Mountain DG) · lending since 2013
Multiple loan-review aggregators report that Northcash has quietly stopped originating new loans — even though its site is still up. If you are searching whether it's still open, the answer appears to be: barely, if at all.
Northcash at a glance
Watchlist- Owning tribe
- Fort Belknap Indian Community (Island Mountain DG)
- Lending since
- 2013
- Loan amounts
- $300–$1,500
- APR range
- 716–795%
- Product
- installment
- Website
- northcash.com
What a Northcash loan really costs
Northcash lends $300–$1,500 at 716–795% APR over 3 to 18 months, positioned as emergency credit. Borrowers report a $400 loan repaid in about a month costing $472, and another $400 loan billed at $520.
But the more important fact for anyone researching it now is that multiple review aggregators indicate Northcash has effectively stopped originating new loans — making it the most 'sunset' of the Fort Belknap brands, even as its website stays online. (Ignore third-party listings claiming a $100–$5,000 range; that is aggregator inflation.)
- Publishes the most explicit excluded-states list of its sibling brands.
- No early-payoff penalty.
- APRs run 716–795%.
- Appears to have largely stopped lending, though the site persists.
- An A+ BBB grade sits against ~1.8-star consumer sentiment.
- Its contract disclaims any waiver of sovereign immunity "for any purpose."
Where Northcash lends
Northcash publishes the clearest exclusion list of its sibling brands — these 10 states plus active-duty military and their dependents (covered by the Military Lending Act's 36% cap).
By its own terms, Northcash does not lend to residents of:
Does Northcash report to credit bureaus?
Northcash underwrites off alternative subprime data and does not report to the major bureaus, so a loan will not build credit. A default can still reach collections.
Who actually owns and runs Northcash
Northcash is operated by North Star Finance, LLC, an economic arm of the Fort Belknap Indian Community in Hays/Harlem, Montana — the same tribe behind Cash Advance Now (GreatPlains Finance) and the broader Island Mountain Development Group ecosystem. The same rent-a-tribe allegations that dog its sibling brands apply here.
The A+ rating that does not add up
Northcash carries an A+ BBB rating despite consumer sentiment around 1.8 stars on aggregators like PissedConsumer and a Washington DFI alert listing it as an unlicensed online tribal lender.
Its own contract language goes further than most, explicitly disclaiming any waiver of sovereign immunity 'for any purpose' — a stronger no-suit posture than its sibling brands display. Together with the signs it has stopped originating, that makes Northcash a lender to approach with particular caution.
What Northcash costs in dollars
Northcash's published ceiling is 795% APR. Below is what that rate does to the amounts it actually lends, repaid over 12 monthly payments.
| You borrow | Monthly | Total repaid | Interest |
|---|---|---|---|
| $300 | $199 | $2,390 | $2,090 |
| $900 | $598 | $7,171 | $6,271 |
| $1,500 | $996 | $11,952 | $10,452 |
At 795%, a $300 balance accrues about $199 in interest every month. Any payment below that figure leaves you owing more than you started with, however long you pay.
Standard amortisation at the published ceiling rate; fees are not included, and your actual rate and term may differ. Run your own numbers in the payoff calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Is Northcash still in business?
Its website is still online, but multiple loan-review aggregators report that Northcash has effectively stopped originating new loans — making it the most wound-down of the Fort Belknap brands. If you already have a Northcash loan, keep paying records and confirm any payoff in writing.
What is the APR on a Northcash loan?
Between 716% and 795%. A $400 loan repaid in about a month has cost around $472–$520 in documented cases. Read the APR box in your agreement.
What states does Northcash exclude?
It publishes a clear list: Arkansas, California, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, plus active-duty military and their dependents under the Military Lending Act.
Is Northcash a tribal loan?
Yes. Northcash is a tribal lending brand owned by the Fort Belknap Indian Community in MT. That means it lends under tribal law and claims sovereign immunity from your state's interest-rate cap, rather than holding a state lending licence. It is also why its APR reaches 716–795% — far above the roughly 36% cap most states set for small loans. Whether the loan is enforceable where you live depends on your state.
What does a Northcash loan cost?
Northcash lends $300–$1,500 at 716–795% APR. At those rates the total repaid is typically several times the amount borrowed, because interest is front-loaded — check the total of payments, not the monthly figure.
Is a Northcash loan legal in my state?
It depends entirely on your state. High-cost tribal loans are effectively banned in nine states, where a loan above the rate cap can be void and not legally collectible, and restricted in many more. Northcash claims tribal sovereign immunity from those caps — an argument courts have accepted in some cases and rejected in others. Check your state before you borrow, and especially before you pay a collector.
How this site works
We are an independent registry — not a lender, not a broker and not a lead generator. This lender did not pay to appear here and cannot pay to change what the review says. We take no money from any lender and sell no applications.
Entries are built from the lender's own published disclosures, tribal corporate and lending-authority records, federal and state court filings, and CFPB, FTC and state regulator actions. Of the 143 brands in the full list of tribal lenders, 41 are confirmed lending, 74 sit on a watchlist pending verification, and 28 have shut down. Where a figure cannot be sourced we leave it blank rather than estimate it — which is why some entries are deliberately incomplete.
Read how we score lenders and our editorial standards.