If youâre in Minnesota and you borrowed from Plain Green, donât keep paying the bill as written. A settlement announced September 23 means Plain Green can now collect only the money it actually lent you. Every dollar of interest is gone, and every payment youâve already made counts against the principal.
For some borrowers, that means the loan is already paid off.
What happened
Plain Green made small online loans, typically $350 to $1,500, to people who needed cash fast. The Minnesota Attorney Generalâs Office says the rates approached 700%. Thatâs more than 80 times the stateâs legal cap.
When borrowers asked how that could be legal, Plain Green had an answer ready. Minnesota law didnât apply, it told them, because the company is owned by a federally recognized tribe.
Attorney General Keith Ellisonâs office disagreed. It sued in federal court in March, arguing that Minnesotaâs lending laws cover loans made to Minnesotans no matter who owns the lender. The settlement doesnât fine Plain Green, because tribes hold sovereign immunity. It just takes away the interest.
Ellisonâs line: âPredatory lenders cannot hide behind a legal loophole to gouge Minnesotans with triple-digit interest rates.â
This is the third time in under two years his office has shut one of these down. A 2024 deal with 12 lenders owned by LDF Holdings canceled balances likely totaling more than $1 million.
What it means for your balance
Hereâs the math they were counting on. At 700% a year, a $1,000 loan racks up roughly $580 in interest every month. Two months of that is more than the loan itself.
Now flip it. Say you borrowed $1,000 and have paid $900 so far. Under the settlement, all $900 goes against principal. You owe $100. Not $1,000, not $1,500. A hundred dollars.
Paid in more than you borrowed? Youâre done. Whether you get the overage back, the AGâs announcement doesnât say. Ask.
Verdict: if youâre still paying the old balance, youâre paying money this lender has no right to collect.
Do this now
Pull every Plain Green payment from your bank statements and add them up. Compare the total to the amount you originally borrowed.
Call the Minnesota Attorney Generalâs Office at (651) 296-3353 in the Twin Cities or (800) 657-3787 in greater Minnesota. Ask what your corrected balance is and whether any extra you paid comes back.
Check your bank account for automatic withdrawals. If Plain Green is still pulling the old payment amount, raise it on that call.
If a different lender has given you the same âstate law doesnât apply to usâ line, file a complaint at those numbers.
Need cash again soon? Run a loan through our loan calculator to see the real cost, read our guide to personal loans with bad credit, and compare options on our best personal loans page. A 35% APR loan feels expensive until you compare it to 700%.
The detail
Plain Green wasnât the first. In February 2024, the office settled with Bright Lending, Green Trust Cash and Target Cash Now over loans at 400% to 800% annual interest. The office says it handled the Plain Green case âin a manner that respects the sovereigntyâ of the tribal owner, which is why the deal fixes the loans instead of fining the lender.
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