Payday & Small-Dollar Lenders · Payday & small-dollar lender (storefront + online) · Regulatory action
ACE Cash Express (Populus Financial Group)
Headline
In 2014 the CFPB found that ACE Cash Express, one of the largest U.S. payday lenders, used illegal debt-collection tactics: harassment and false threats of lawsuits or criminal prosecution to pressure overdue borrowers…
Not independently verified. Verification status: Unverified - heuristic first draft. Publish state: draft unverified.
In 2014 the CFPB found that ACE Cash Express, one of the largest U.S. payday lenders, used illegal debt-collection tactics: harassment and false threats of lawsuits or criminal prosecution to pressure overdue borrowers into new loans they could not afford. ACE paid $5 million in refunds and a $5 million penalty, and the CFPB still lists the order as 'Post Order/Post Judgment.' A second CFPB lawsuit (2022) alleged ACE hid free repayment plans and improperly withdrew funds. The Bureau voluntarily dismissed it with prejudice on April 30, 2025, so those allegations were never adjudicated. ACE operates in-store installment loans in Virginia and had stores in DC as of 2022.
- Severity
- Evidence tierUnassigned
- Claims confirmed
- Last verified2026-10-16
Primary source. www.consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/actions/ace-cash-express/ — Unverified - heuristic first draft.
Terms
Arbitration
Not verified this pass - ACE terms of use not located (404 at /terms-of-use/).
Data sharing
GLBA privacy notice ('Rev. 01/2020'): the ACE Cash Express Companies share for their own marketing and joint marketing (you cannot limit) and with affiliates and nonaffiliates to market to you (you can limit by calling 800-224-4338). The notice lists nonaffiliates it shares with as 'lenders; banks; collection agencies; check-cashers; tax preparers; brokers; pawnbrokers; rent-to-own, mortgage and insurance companies; and retailers.' The privacy notice is dated January 2020 and may not reflect current practice. A separate Populus privacy policy and California notices exist but were not reviewed.
Fees and billing
2014 CFPB order: debt-collection pressure tactics used to push delinquent borrowers into new payday loans (a 'cycle of debt'); $5M refunds plus $5M penalty. 2022 CFPB complaint (dismissed 2025): alleged ACE concealed no-cost repayment plans in favor of fee-generating rollovers and made improper withdrawals. Allegations only. Virginia installment-loan APR and fees are disclosed in-store and were not captured.
Contacts
Privacy contact. 800-224-4338 (GLBA notice opt-out line and questions).
Legal notice. Not verified this pass. If publicly traded: SEC Form 10-K cover page gives the official corporate address; the Secretary of State business-entity search in the state of incorporation gives the registered agent, which must accept service. If private: the state registered agent is usually the only reliable route.
Mailing address. Not recorded.
Evidence
No claims have been itemized for this row yet.
Sources
| Source | Claim | Tier | Status | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CFPB enforcement action page · 2014-07-10 www.consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/actions/ace-cash-express/ | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “The CFPB found that ACE used illegal debt collection tactics – including harassment and false threats of lawsuits or criminal prosecution” Quote basis: not recorded. |
| CFPB enforcement action page · 2025-04-30 www.consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/actions/populus-financial-group-inc-d-b-a-ace-cash-express-inc/ | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “On April 30, 2025, the Bureau voluntarily dismissed the action against the defendants with prejudice” Quote basis: not recorded. |
| CFPB press release (archived) · 2022-07-12 www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-sues-ace-cash-express-for-concealing-no-cost-repayment-plans-and-improperly-withdrawing-consumers-funds | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “CFPB Sues ACE Cash Express for Concealing No-Cost Repayment Plans and Improperly Withdrawing Consumers’ Funds” Quote basis: not recorded. |
| Company privacy notice (PDF) · 2020-01 www.acecashexpress.com/uploads/files/privacy/Web-3.0-Privacy-Policy.pdf | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “lenders; banks; collection agencies; check-cashers; tax preparers; brokers; pawnbrokers; rent-to-own, mortgage and insurance companies; and retailers” Quote basis: not recorded. |
| Company state page · 2026-10-16 www.acecashexpress.com/locations/virginia/ | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “Installment Loans $100-$1,000 (at an ACE store)” Quote basis: not recorded. |
| Statute · 2026-10-16 law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title6.2/chapter18/section6.2-1817/ | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “Interest at a simple annual rate not to exceed 36 percent” Quote basis: not recorded. |
| State AG press release · 2020-06-05 oag.dc.gov/release/ag-racine-sues-predatory-online-lender-illegal | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “payday loans are illegal in the District” Quote basis: not recorded. |
| Statute (LII) · 2026-10-16 www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/987 | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “the creditor requires the borrower to submit to arbitration” Quote basis: not recorded. |
Source vault
Link status: Candidate - not yet fetched
| Document | Last fetch | |
|---|---|---|
| Privacy policy https://www.acecashexpress.com/privacy/ | Not fetched yet | NOT CONFIRMED |
| Terms of service No URL recorded | Not fetched yet | NOT CONFIRMED |
| Website https://www.acecashexpress.com/ | Not fetched yet | — |
| Primary source https://www.consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/actions/ace-cash-express/ Verification: Unverified - heuristic first draft | Not fetched yet | — |
Enforcement
| Action | Amount | Link |
|---|---|---|
| In re ACE Cash Express, Inc. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 2014 CFPB Consent Order, No. 2014-CFPB-0008 (July 10, 2014). | $10M | proposed |
Links are proposed matches, not yet reviewed.
State statute
Headquarters on file: TX. Provisions of TDPSA on file:
| Provision | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sensitive Data — Opt-In Consent Required Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 541.001(31); § 541.101(b)(4) | hard | source |
| Applicability — SBA Size-Based, No Numerical Consumer Threshold Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 541.002 | threshold | source |
| Right to Access Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 541.051(b)(1) | hard | source |
| Right to Correction Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 541.051(b)(2) | hard | source |
| Right to Deletion Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 541.051(b)(3) | hard | source |
| Right to Data Portability Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 541.051(b)(4) | hard | source |
| Right to Opt Out of Sale, Targeted Advertising, and Profiling Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 541.051(b)(5) | hard | source |
| Right to Appeal Denied Request Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 541.053 | hard | source |
| Privacy Notice Requirements Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 541.102(a) | hard | source |
| Specific Notice Required for Sale of Sensitive Personal Data Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 541.102(b)-(c) | hard | source |
| Processor Contract Requirements Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 541.104 | hard | source |
| Enforcement — AG Only; 30-Day Cure; No Private Right of Action Tex. Bus. & Com. Code §§ 541.151-541.156 | hard | source |