RiseUp Lending Active
Crow Creek Sioux Tribe (per WA DFI) · lending since 2021
RiseUp Lending earned its BBB 'F' the hard way — by failing to answer 13 complaints — while borrowers document APRs spanning 499% to 758% on nearly identical loans.
RiseUp Lending at a glance
Active- Owning tribe
- Crow Creek Sioux Tribe (per WA DFI)
- Lending since
- 2021
- Loan amounts
- $300–$2,500
- APR range
- 400–795%
- Product
- installment
- Website
- riseuplending.com
What a RiseUp Lending loan really costs
RiseUp Lending offers $200–$3,000 over 10–18 months but does not publish its APR. Individual borrower complaints document a wide spread on similar small loans — 725.08% on a $1,200 loan, 499% on a $1,645 balance, and 758% on a $400 loan.
Beyond the rate, borrowers report that making extra payments or moving a due date requires phone calls, and that refunds and payoffs are processed slowly (one borrower was still owed $1,220 at a home closing).
- Loans up to $3,000, including for first-time borrowers.
- Same-day funding if approved by 2 p.m. Central.
- APR not published; complaints document 499% to 758%.
- BBB "F" for failing to respond to 13 complaints.
- Extra payments and date changes reportedly require phone calls.
- Refund and payoff processing delays reported.
Where RiseUp Lending lends
RiseUp does publish the list, on its Availability & Rates page — it also excludes the District of Columbia, and South Dakota, where the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe that owns it is based. The list is character-for-character identical to River Valley Loans', the tribe's other brand. Washington's DFI names both RiseUp Lending and its sister brand Inazin Lending as unlicensed.
By its own terms, RiseUp Lending does not lend to residents of:
Does RiseUp Lending report to credit bureaus?
RiseUp does not report to the three major bureaus, so a loan will not build credit. It verifies applicants through Clarity and FactorTrust.
RiseUp and River Valley are the same lender
RiseUp Lending and River Valley Loans are both owned by the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, and the evidence that they are one operation rather than two is unusually clean: their excluded-state lists are character-for-character identical — Arkansas, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.
The sites match too. Both run an "Availability & Rates" page that defines what an APR is without ever stating theirs. Both charge $20 if you pay more than 5 days late, $30 for a returned payment, and neither penalises early payoff.
The same template runs on four more brands: Three Sticks Lending and Willow Lake Lending (both Rosebud Sioux, lists identical to each other), and Minto Money and Birch Lending (both Native Village of Minto). Six storefronts, three tribes, one platform.
This matters if you are shopping. Being declined by RiseUp and trying River Valley is not a second opinion — it is the same underwriting, the same servicing and the same collections, reached through a different door.
Who actually owns and runs RiseUp Lending
RiseUp Lending is a subsidiary of the Dakota Economic Development Corporation, formed under the laws of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe in Fort Thompson, South Dakota.
It shares an operator with a sister brand, Inazin Lending — both are named together in Washington DFI's unlicensed-lender alert — placing it in the same Crow Creek/Dakota EDC family as River Valley Loans.
Complaint record
RiseUp's BBB 'F' rating stems specifically from failing to respond to 13 complaints. That non-response, combined with the wide documented APR spread (499–758%) on comparable loans, is the clearest signal of how the operation treats disputes.
Its Trustpilot score, by contrast, sits around 4.7 — one of the sharpest rating gaps in the sector, a pattern associated with solicited post-funding reviews.
What RiseUp Lending costs in dollars
RiseUp Lending'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 |
| $1,400 | $930 | $11,155 | $9,755 |
| $2,500 | $1,660 | $19,920 | $17,420 |
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
What is the APR on a RiseUp Lending loan?
RiseUp does not publish it. Individual complaints document rates from 499% to 758% on similar small loans (e.g., 725.08% on a $1,200 loan). Read the APR box in your own agreement.
Why does RiseUp Lending have an "F" from the BBB?
Specifically because it failed to respond to 13 complaints. Note the contrast with its ~4.7 Trustpilot score — a wide gap typical of solicited post-funding reviews.
Is RiseUp Lending related to Inazin Lending or River Valley Loans?
RiseUp and Inazin Lending share an operator and are named together in Washington’s DFI alert, both under the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe’s Dakota Economic Development Corporation — the same family as River Valley Loans.
Is RiseUp Lending a tribal loan?
Yes. RiseUp Lending is a tribal lending brand owned by the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe in SD. 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 400–795% — 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 RiseUp Lending loan cost?
RiseUp Lending lends $300–$2,500 at 400–795% 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 RiseUp Lending 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. RiseUp Lending 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.
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