Personal Loans in Louisiana: What Licensed Lenders May Charge

How the Louisiana rate brackets work

Section 9:3519 applies each rate to its own portion of the unpaid principal balance, so a larger loan has a lower blended rate. As you pay the loan down, more of what is left falls in the higher brackets, but the dollar interest shrinks with the balance.

Take a $5,000 balance as an example. The first $1,400 may carry 36% ($504 a year), the next $2,600 may carry 27% ($702) and the last $1,000 may carry 24% ($240). That is $1,446 a year at most, a blended rate of about 28.9% at the start of the loan. These figures are an illustration of the limit, not an offer.

Section 9:3530 lets the lender charge an origination fee of up to $50 per consumer loan. Because the fee is a finance charge, the APR on your Truth in Lending disclosure will be higher than the contract rate, most of all on a small loan.

The 2026 bill that did not become law

House Bill 952 of the 2026 Regular Session proposed new brackets: 36% up to $2,500, 24% from $2,500 to $10,000 and 17% above $10,000, and a $75 origination fee. It passed the House on April 14, 2026, 78 to 11, and was referred to the Senate commerce committee. The Legislature's bill page lists no Senate passage, governor's action or Act number, so the brackets above remain the law. See rule changes for dated updates.

How Louisiana compares with its neighbors

On the National Consumer Law Center's comparison of a $2,000 two-year loan, Arkansas caps the loan at about 17% APR and Texas at about 37%, while Mississippi allows about 59%. For a $10,000 five-year loan, Louisiana's 27% matches Texas and sits close to Mississippi's 26%. The state rules map shows every state side by side.

Who needs a license and who does not

The OFI's non-depository division licenses finance companies, which it calls licensed lenders. A lender must hold a consumer loan license from the OFI before it begins to make consumer loans, meaning loans made mainly for personal, family or household purposes. Applicants file through NMLS, need a physical location from which loans are made, and must show at least $25,000 in unencumbered cash.

• Banks and credit unions answer to separate charters and regulators, and a bank may charge the rates its home state allows.
• Online lenders that partner with a bank may make loans through that bank, which can put the loan outside the Louisiana brackets. Ask who the lender of record is.
• Payday and title loans follow separate rules. Our sister site Lendmira covers them on its Louisiana lending laws page.

If a lender asks for a fee before it will approve or fund a loan, treat that as a warning sign; how to verify a lender explains what to check.

Check a lender and file a complaint

1. 1 Look up the license on NMLS Consumer Access or in the OFI's list of licensed lenders before you apply.
2. 2 Keep the loan papers: the Truth in Lending disclosure, the agreement and any messages about fees.
3. 3 File a non-depository complaint with the OFI in writing: download its complaint form, then mail it to the Non-Depository Division or fax it to (225) 925-4525. Questions go to the main line, (225) 925-4660.
4. 4 Send a complaint to the CFPB as well if the lender is a bank or a bank partner, or if you are unsure who regulates it.

Questions people ask