Good to excellent credit
American Express
- Credit profile
- Excellent
- APR range
- 6.99% – 19.99%
- Loan amount
- $3,500 – $40,000
Personal finance / SC
Personal loans, banking, insurance, and debt help in South Carolina
South Carolinians use personal loans mainly to consolidate credit card debt, cover emergency expenses, or finance home improvements, and most are unsecured, though secured options backed by home equity, a vehicle title, or savings exist.
37lenders in the dataset
SCstate guide
$1,432/yraverage homeowners premium in dataset
51jurisdictions in the dataset
01 / Personal loans
Personal loans in South Carolina
South Carolinians use personal loans mainly to consolidate credit card debt, cover emergency expenses, or finance home improvements, and most are unsecured, though secured options backed by home equity, a vehicle title, or savings exist.
Interest-rate law
South Carolina takes a structurally different approach from most states: rather than a fixed percentage cap, supervised lenders can charge any rate they file and publicly post with the state, or opt for a flat 18% per year alternative instead. This filed-rate structure applies the same way at any loan size, relying on public disclosure rather than a hard ceiling.
| Loan range | Rate | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Any loan size (filed/posted rate) | Any rate the lender files and publicly posts with the state -- effectively uncapped | S.C. Code § 37-3-305 |
| Any loan size (flat-rate alternative) | 18% per year | S.C. Code § 37-3-305 |
Lender complaints: South Carolina Board of Financial Institutions
02 / Lender directory
Lenders by credit profile
Good to excellent credit
Axos Bank
- Credit profile
- Excellent
- APR range
- 11.79% – 20.84%
- Loan amount
- $7,000 – $50,000
Good to excellent credit
Citi
- Credit profile
- Good - Excellent
- APR range
- 9.99% – 17.49%
- Loan amount
- $2,000 – $30,000
Good to excellent credit
Discover
- Credit profile
- Good - Excellent
- APR range
- 6.99% – 24.99%
- Loan amount
- $2,500 – $40,000
Good to excellent credit
Fifth Third Bank
- Credit profile
- Not specified
- APR range
- 8.69% – 21.74%
- Loan amount
- $2,000 – $50,000
Good to excellent credit
Happy Money
- Credit profile
- Good
- APR range
- 7.95% – 35.99%
- Loan amount
- $5,000 – $50,000
Good to excellent credit
LightStream
- Credit profile
- Good - Excellent
- APR range
- 6.74% – 25.39%
- Loan amount
- $5,000 – $100,000
Good to excellent credit
PNC Bank
- Credit profile
- Not specified
- APR range
- 7.89% – 24.99%
- Loan amount
- $1,000 – $35,000
Good to excellent credit
PenFed
- Credit profile
- Good
- APR range
- 7.99% – 17.99%
- Loan amount
- $500 – $50,000
Good to excellent credit
Prosper
- Credit profile
- Good
- APR range
- 8.99% – 35.99%
- Loan amount
- $2,000 – $50,000
Good to excellent credit
Reach Financial
- Credit profile
- Not specified
- APR range
- 5.99% – 35.99%
- Loan amount
- $3,500 – $40,000
Good to excellent credit
Rocket Loans
- Credit profile
- Good
- APR range
- 8.01% – 29.99%
- Loan amount
- $2,000 – $45,000
Good to excellent credit
SoFi
- Credit profile
- Good - Excellent
- APR range
- 8.74% – 35.99%
- Loan amount
- $5,000 – $100,000
Good to excellent credit
Truist
- Credit profile
- Good - Excellent
- APR range
- 6.74% – 25.39%
- Loan amount
- $3,500 – $100,000
Good to excellent credit
USAA
- Credit profile
- Good - Excellent
- APR range
- 9.89% – 18.51%
- Loan amount
- $2,500 – $100,000
Good to excellent credit
Wells Fargo
- Credit profile
- Good - Excellent
- APR range
- 6.74% – 25.99%
- Loan amount
- $3,000 – $100,000
Fair credit
Achieve
- Credit profile
- Fair
- APR range
- 6.25% – 35.99%
- Loan amount
- $5,000 – $50,000
Fair credit
Avant
- Credit profile
- Poor to Good
- APR range
- 9.95% – 35.99%
- Loan amount
- $2,000 – $35,000
Fair credit
Best Egg
- Credit profile
- Fair
- APR range
- 6.99% – 35.99%
- Loan amount
- $2,000 – $50,000
Fair credit
Happen Bank (formerly LendingClub)
- Credit profile
- Fair
- APR range
- 7.04% – 35.99%
- Loan amount
- $1,000 – $60,000
Fair credit
LendingPoint
- Credit profile
- Fair
- APR range
- 7.99% – 35.99%
- Loan amount
- $1,000 – $36,500
Fair credit
Navy Federal Credit Union
- Credit profile
- Fair - Excellent
- APR range
- 8.74% – 18%
- Loan amount
- $250 – $50,000
Fair credit
Oportun
- Credit profile
- Fair
- APR range
- N/A – 35.95%
- Loan amount
- $300 – $10,000
Fair credit
TD Bank
- Credit profile
- Fair - Excellent
- APR range
- 9.99% – 23.99%
- Loan amount
- $2,000 – $50,000
Fair credit
Upgrade
- Credit profile
- Fair
- APR range
- 7.74% – 35.99%
- Loan amount
- $1,000 – $50,000
Fair credit
Upstart
- Credit profile
- Fair
- APR range
- 6.20% – 35.99%
- Loan amount
- $1,000 – $75,000
Poor or limited credit
CreditNinja
- Credit profile
- Poor
- APR range
- 195.75% – 349%
- Loan amount
- $300 – $5,000
Poor or limited credit
Integra Credit
- Credit profile
- Poor
- APR range
- 149% – 399%
- Loan amount
- $500 – $3,000
Poor or limited credit
Kwikcash
- Credit profile
- Not specified
- APR range
- 99% – 499%
- Loan amount
- $250 – $1,000
Poor or limited credit
Mariner Finance
- Credit profile
- Poor
- APR range
- 15.49% – 35.99%
- Loan amount
- $1,000 – $25,000
Poor or limited credit
NetCredit
- Credit profile
- Poor
- APR range
- 34% – 99.99%
- Loan amount
- $1,000 – $10,000
Poor or limited credit
OneMain Financial
- Credit profile
- Poor
- APR range
- 18% – 35.99%
- Loan amount
- $1,500 – $20,000
Poor or limited credit
OppLoans
- Credit profile
- Poor
- APR range
- 160% – 195%
- Loan amount
- $500 – $5,000
Poor or limited credit
Personify Financial
- Credit profile
- Poor
- APR range
- 36% – 179.50%
- Loan amount
- $500 – $15,000
Poor or limited credit
RISE Credit
- Credit profile
- Poor
- APR range
- 99% – 199%
- Loan amount
- $500 – $5,000
Poor or limited credit
Security Finance
- Credit profile
- Not specified
- APR range
- N/A – 124.48%
- Loan amount
- $477 – $2,500
Poor or limited credit
World Finance
- Credit profile
- Poor
- APR range
- N/A – 99%
- Loan amount
- $450 – $12,000
03 / Debt consolidation
Debt consolidation
Debt consolidation loans replace multiple higher-rate debts, typically credit cards, with one new loan and one payment. Because South Carolina's filed-rate system doesn't set a hard percentage cap, there's no legal ceiling protecting a borrower from a consolidation loan priced at or above a typical credit card APR, so comparing multiple lenders' filed or posted rates, or asking about the 18% flat alternative, matters more here than in states with a fixed cap.
04 / Banking and credit unions
Banking in South Carolina
South Carolina residents can choose between national banks offering scale (large ATM/branch networks, mobile apps) and regional/community banks offering relationship banking and faster local lending decisions.
Banks listed
- Wells FargoNational bank.
- Bank of AmericaNational bank.
- First Citizens BankHeadquartered in Raleigh, NC, with deep South Carolina roots.
- SouthState BankHeadquartered in Winter Haven, FL, with major South Carolina operations.
- TruistHeadquartered in Charlotte, NC.
- TD BankU.S. headquarters in Cherry Hill, NJ.
- United Community BankHeadquartered in Greenville, SC.
Credit unions
Credit unions are member-owned, not-for-profit institutions that often post lower loan rates and fewer fees than banks, but require membership eligibility tied to geography, employer, or affiliation.
South Carolina credit unions posted median membership growth of about 3.6% year over year (Q4 2025 NCUA data), alongside strong median loan growth (about 4.0%), one of the stronger figures in the comparison.
South Carolina's credit union roots run through both ends of the common-bond spectrum: rural agricultural cooperatives (the Clemson College Cooperative Credit Union, organized in 1921 with USDA backing, was among the earliest credit unions in the American South) and military installations (the Charleston Naval Shipyard Federal Credit Union, chartered in 1936, grew into South Carolina Federal Credit Union after the shipyard closed in 1994). Early liberalization came less from state-specific action than from a national policy shift: NCUA's 1980s decision to let credit unions accept members from 'unlike groups' beyond their original sponsor let Charleston Naval Shipyard absorb several smaller credit unions during that decade. A mix of coastal military hubs and a historically rural, agricultural interior meant credit unions grew steadily into an underserved market with comparatively little banking competition to displace.
Federally insured credit union deposits are protected up to $250,000 through the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund.
Credit unions listed
05 / Debt settlement
Debt settlement
South Carolina requires registration under the Consumer Protection Code (S.C. Code § 37-7-101 et seq.), regulated by the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs. A specific fee cap, timing rule, or cooling-off period for South Carolina debt settlement providers isn't clearly documented in public secondary sourcing, so the federal Telemarketing Sales Rule's ban on advance fees before a debt is settled is the baseline protection to rely on.
Companies listed in the dataset
06 / Insurance
South Carolina insurance
Regulator
South Carolina Department of Insurance
Insurance regulator websiteAuto insurance
25/50/25
South Carolina requires liability insurance with minimum limits of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, plus $25,000 for property damage. South Carolina also requires uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on every policy.
Homeowners and renters
$1,432/yr
- State requirement
- No
- National homeowners average
- $1,337/yr
- Renters average
- $184/yr
South Carolina carries real exposure to hurricanes and tropical storms along its coast, along with severe thunderstorms and occasional tornadoes further inland. Coastal counties see meaningfully higher premiums than the state average due to hurricane risk.
07 / Questions
South Carolina FAQs
How do I file a complaint against a lender in South Carolina?
Contact the South Carolina Board of Financial Institutions, which licenses and supervises consumer lenders operating in South Carolina.
How do I file a complaint against my insurance company in South Carolina?
File with the South Carolina Department of Insurance.
What's the maximum interest rate a lender can legally charge on a personal loan in South Carolina?
There isn't a fixed percentage. South Carolina's supervised lenders can charge any rate they file and publicly post with the state, or opt for a flat 18% alternative instead. This filed-rate system applies at any loan size, so it's a transparency-based approach rather than a fixed cap the way most states use.
Are payday loans legal in South Carolina, and are there caps on fees or loan amounts?
Yes, and South Carolina caps them by loan size and fee percentage. Payday loans, called deferred presentment services, are capped at $550, with fees up to 15% of the amount advanced, working out to an APR around 391% on a typical loan. Borrowers can only have one outstanding payday loan at a time, tracked through a statewide database, and rollovers aren't allowed. A 2010 workaround shifted much of South Carolina's short-term lending into a separate 'supervised lender' category not subject to these payday-specific rules, so the number of licensed payday lenders dropped sharply even as high-cost short-term credit remains widely available under the supervised-lender license instead.
How long can a debt collector legally pursue an unpaid debt in South Carolina before the statute of limitations runs out?
Most consumer debts, including personal loans, credit cards, and medical bills, have a 3-year statute of limitations in South Carolina (S.C. Code § 15-3-530), one of the shorter windows in the country, applying to both written and oral contracts under the general provision. A narrower category, contracts secured by a mortgage of real property, gets a much longer 20-year window (§ 15-3-520). Making a payment can restart the clock.
What's the difference between a debt consolidation loan and debt settlement for someone living in South Carolina?
A debt consolidation loan pays off existing debts in full using newly borrowed money, usually at a lower rate, repaid on a fixed schedule. Debt settlement negotiates with creditors to accept less than the full balance, usually requiring you to stop paying first, which damages credit and may create taxable forgiven-debt income. South Carolina requires debt settlement companies to register, a real regulatory layer, but the fundamental tradeoffs between the two paths are the same as anywhere else.
