Payday & Small-Dollar Lenders · Fintech (cash advance / subscription banking) · Private litigation
Albert (Albert Corporation)
Headline
Albert agreed to a $5.2 million class settlement (pending final approval, Albert denies wrongdoing) in a federal suit alleging its 'Instant' advances are credit that violated the Military Lending Act, TILA and…
Not independently verified. Verification status: Unverified - heuristic first draft. Publish state: draft unverified.
Albert agreed to a $5.2 million class settlement (pending final approval, Albert denies wrongdoing) in a federal suit alleging its 'Instant' advances are credit that violated the Military Lending Act, TILA and Georgia's Payday Lending Act. Its terms now advance $25-$1,000 due in six days, sold alongside $19.99-$39.99/month subscriptions, and its privacy policy contradicts itself on data sales: one section says 'We do not sell your Personal Information' while the California section says Albert 'may "sell" or "share"' personal information with advertising networks.
- Severity
- Evidence tierUnassigned
- Claims confirmed
- Last verified2026-10-16
Case status. Private litigation; the legal tier of its sources has not been assigned yet.
Primary source. www.responsiblelending.org/research-publication/payday-loan-app-litigation-tracker — Unverified - heuristic first draft.
Terms
Arbitration
Yes - Terms: binding individual arbitration with jury and class waiver unless the user opts out; administrator, governing law and mass-arbitration terms not captured this pass.
Data sharing
Privacy policy (Sept. 17, 2026) §6: 'We may "sell" or "share" your Personal Information, as that term is defined in the CCPA, with advertising networks' - conflicts with §4 ('We do not sell your Personal Information') and §7 (Nevada: does 'not currently sell'). Interest-based advertising with cross-device tracking. Affiliates (Albert Insurance, Albert Securities, Albert Investments, Albert Cash) receive data for marketing (user can limit); no nonaffiliate marketing sharing. Collects SSN, DOB, income, ACH account/routing numbers, transactions and balances. Terms state 'Albert owns your Financial Information' as between Albert and its vendors. Opt-out at albert.com/#sharing, in-app (Profile > Settings > Security) or 'Your privacy choices' link; GPC honored for CA and CO.
Fees and billing
Subscriptions: Standard $19.99/month, Genius $39.99/month, Family Plan $39.99/month (Terms, Oct. 2026). Instant Advances $25-$1,000, due 6 days after advance (extendable up to 7 days), no interest or late fees, non-recourse; instant transfer to an external account carries a fee shown in-app (free to Albert Cash). MLA/TILA/Georgia plaintiffs allege the fee structure is undisclosed credit (allegation; settled without admission).
Contacts
Privacy contact. privacy@albert.com
Legal notice. Albert Corp, 440 N. Barranca Ave #3801, Covina, CA 91723 (Terms notice address; appears to be a mailbox - corporate HQ not verified this pass)
Mailing address. Not recorded.
Evidence
No claims have been itemized for this row yet.
Sources
| Source | Claim | Tier | Status | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advocacy-group litigation tracker (secondary) · 2026-09-29 www.responsiblelending.org/research-publication/payday-loan-app-litigation-tracker | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “$5.2 million settlement fund” Quote basis: not recorded. |
| Company terms (primary) · 2026-10-15 help.albert.com/hc/en-us/articles/16768060313111-Albert-s-Terms-of-Use | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “Instant Advances limits range from $25 - $1,000.” Quote basis: not recorded. |
| Company privacy policy (primary) · 2026-09-17 help.albert.com/hc/en-us/articles/16770180178583-Albert-s-Privacy-Policy | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “We may "sell" or "share" your Personal Information, as that term is defined in the CCPA, with advertising networks” Quote basis: not recorded. |
| Law firm analysis (secondary) · 2026-01-05 www.dwt.com/blogs/financial-services-law-advisor/2026/01/cfpb-revisits-2020-opinion-earned-wage-access | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “formally withdraws the CFPB's 2024 proposed interpretive rule” Quote basis: not recorded. |
| Law firm client alert (secondary) · 2025-06-10 www.mcguirewoods.com/client-resources/alerts/2025/6/connecticut-and-louisiana-poised-to-enact-earned-wage-access-legislation-marking-significant-policy-shift-among-states/ | whole row | Unassigned | confirmed | “SB 1396 caps the total finance charge for EWA at $4 per advance or $30 per month” Quote basis: not recorded. |
Source vault
Link status: Candidate - not yet fetched
| Document | Last fetch | |
|---|---|---|
| Privacy policy https://help.albert.com/hc/en-us/articles/16770180178583-Albert-s-Privacy-Policy | Not fetched yet | NOT CONFIRMED |
| Terms of service https://help.albert.com/hc/en-us/articles/16768060313111-Albert-s-Terms-of-Use | Not fetched yet | NOT CONFIRMED |
| Website https://albert.com | Not fetched yet | — |
| Primary source https://www.responsiblelending.org/research-publication/payday-loan-app-litigation-tracker Verification: Unverified - heuristic first draft | Not fetched yet | — |
Enforcement
No enforcement actions are linked to this row.
State statute
Headquarters on file: CA. Provisions of CCPA/CPRA on file:
| Provision | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Right to Deletion Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.105 | hard | source |
| Right to Correction Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.106 | hard | source |
| Right to Know / Access Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.110 | hard | source |
| Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.121; Cal. Code Regs. tit. 11, § 7027 | hard | source |
| Right to Data Portability Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.130(a)(3)(B)(iii) | hard | source |
| Privacy Policy / Privacy Notice Requirements Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.130(a)(5); Cal. Code Regs. tit. 11, § 7011 | hard | source |
| Sensitive Personal Information — Categories Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.140(ae) | hard | source |
| Service Provider and Contractor Contract Requirements Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.140(ag); Cal. Code Regs. tit. 11, § 7051 | hard | source |
| Applicability Threshold (2025 CPI-Adjusted) Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.140(d) | threshold | source |
| Privacy Risk Assessment — Mandatory for High-Risk Processing (Eff. Jan. 1, 2026) Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.185(a)(15); Cal. Code Regs. tit. 11, §§ 7150-7157 | hard | source |
| Right to Opt Out of Sale or Sharing Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1798.120, 1798.135 | hard | source |
| Sale vs. Sharing Distinction Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1798.140(ad), 1798.140(ah) | hard | source |
| Enforcement — CPPA and AG; Civil Penalties (2025 CPI-Adjusted) Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1798.155, 1798.199.90; Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17206 | hard | source |
| Notice at Collection Cal. Code Regs. tit. 11, § 7012 | hard | source |
| Cybersecurity Audit — Annual Independent Audit Requirement (Eff. Jan. 1, 2026) Cal. Code Regs. tit. 11, §§ 7120-7124 | hard | source |
| Automated Decision-Making Technology (ADMT) — Notice, Opt-Out, and Access Rights Cal. Code Regs. tit. 11, §§ 7200-7222; Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.185(a)(16) | hard | source |