Tribes accused of predatory lending, and some may have been fleeced as well

Jan 29, 20240

BETHANY BAKER Billings Gazette count

Fort Belknap, located along Hwy. 2, is accused by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison of owning companies involved in predatory lending.

The Fort Belknap Indian Community in Montana, like many tribes, runs a lucrative online lending business.

Thousands of Minnesotans in financial predicaments have turned to Fort Belknap's lenders for easy-to-access credit.

But those loans carry extremely high interest rates, ensnaring consumers in debt traps and allegedly breaking state and federal laws, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison claims in a recent lawsuit. Fort Belknap tribal business leaders deny those allegations.

https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-attorney-general-predatory-lending-montana-fort-belknap-lac-courtes-oreilles/600338435/