How to File a Complaint Against a Colorado Lender in Denver

If a lender charged more than it should have, skipped a required disclosure, or pushed you hard over a debt, you do not have to just absorb it. This guide explains how to file a complaint with the Colorado UCCC Administrator, what to gather first, and what to expect afterward. It is written for borrowers in Denver, Colorado, but the steps apply across the state.

Who takes complaints about Colorado lenders

The Colorado Attorney General’s Consumer Credit Unit serves as the UCCC Administrator. The UCCC is the Uniform Consumer Credit Code, found in Title 5 of the Colorado statutes. Finance companies that make installment and personal loans are “supervised lenders” under it and must hold a supervised lender license. Small payday-style loans fall under a separate law, the Deferred Deposit Loan Act, which the same office oversees.

Complaints and license searches both go through coag.gov. Filing is free and you do not need a lawyer. For background, read what the Colorado Uniform Consumer Credit Code is.

Check the lender’s license first

Before you write anything, look the lender up on the Attorney General’s website. Write down the exact business name on your contract, any other names it uses, and the website or storefront where you borrowed. If you cannot find a license, say so in your complaint. That detail matters.

Problems worth reporting

You do not need to cite the law. You need to describe what happened. Still, it helps to know the main rules for small deferred deposit loans in Colorado, because a mismatch is a good reason to complain:

• Rate: the cap is 36% APR, covering the finance charge. A lender may charge only the charges the Act expressly allows.
• Amount: no more than $500 to one consumer at any time. A second loan is allowed only if the total stays at or below $500 and there is a 30-day wait.
• Term: at least six months from the loan date.
• Early payoff: the lender must refund a prorated share of the finance charge for the time left.
• Cancelling: you may cancel on or before 5 p.m. the next business day after the loan.
• Renewal: only once, at no more than 36% APR.
• Returned payment: one charge of no more than $25 per loan, plus court costs and attorney fees only if a court awards them. No other default fees.
• Jail threats: you cannot face a criminal penalty for taking the loan or for a bounced check, unless the account was closed before the agreed date.

Larger installment loans follow the UCCC, and the rules differ. Ask for the APR in writing and compare. For more, see your rights as a Colorado loan borrower.

Gather your documents

A complaint with proof gets more attention than one without. Collect:

• The loan agreement and disclosure pages, including the APR and total of payments.
• Payment records, such as bank statements or receipts.
• Texts, emails, letters and screenshots of ads or web pages.
• A log of calls with the date, time, the person’s name, and what was said.

Scan or photograph everything, keep the originals, and name files by date.

Check the numbers yourself

Here is a worked example at the 36% APR cap. A $500 loan repaid in six equal monthly payments costs about $53.79 in interest. That is about $92.30 a month and about $553.79 repaid in total.

Now suppose your contract for a $500 loan over six months says you will repay $640. That is about $86 more than the example. It does not prove a violation, since terms differ, but it is a reason to ask the lender to explain every charge in writing and to mention the gap in your complaint. This is an illustration only. To see how the rate is figured, read how Colorado’s 36% APR cap is calculated.

Write a clear complaint

Keep it short, factual and calm. Try this order:

• Who: the lender’s name and where you dealt with it.
• When: the date you borrowed and the dates of key events.
• What: the amount borrowed, what you were told, and what you were charged.
• Problem: what you think went wrong, in plain words.
• Fix: what you want, such as a refund, a corrected balance, or an end to the calls.

Skip anger and guesses. If a collector threatened arrest, write down the exact words and when they were said.

Submit it at coag.gov

Go to the Colorado Attorney General’s website at coag.gov and find the consumer complaint section for credit and debt. Choose the category closest to your loan, fill in the form, and upload your documents. Save the confirmation and a copy of what you sent. Do not include your full Social Security or bank account number unless the form asks for it.

What happens after you file

The office reviews the complaint and may ask the lender to respond. It is a regulator, not your personal lawyer. It cannot give legal advice or represent you, and it cannot promise a refund or a timeline. Your complaint does become part of the record on that company.

Meanwhile, keep paying what you truly owe under a fair contract, or ask the lender in writing for a payment plan. If a charge looks wrong, dispute it with your bank too. If weeks pass with no word, send a short, polite follow-up with your submission date.

Add a federal complaint when it fits

If the problem involves collection tactics or credit report errors, you can also file with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. The CFPB sends your complaint to the company and posts its reply. Get your free credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com and dispute mistakes under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Online and out-of-state lenders

Online lenders must follow Colorado law when they lend to Coloradans, and they should hold a Colorado license. Many claim tribal ownership or an out-of-state bank partnership. Colorado’s effort to apply its rate caps to some out-of-state bank loans is being challenged in federal court, and the outcome is not final. You do not need to settle that question. Check the license on coag.gov and file with the facts you have. Our guide on what to check before you apply for online loans in Denver covers the warning signs.

Other help in Denver

• Colorado Legal Services helps low-income residents with civil problems such as debt collection. Ask whether you qualify.
• Denver County Court hears small claims in Denver, which are limited to $7,500. Get advice before suing.
• 2-1-1, run by Mile High United Way for the Denver area, refers callers to food, housing and bill help.

Active-duty service members and covered dependents have a 36% MAPR cap under the Military Lending Act. Airmen and Guardians linked to Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora can also ask about Air Force Aid Society help through the base. Veterans and civilian workers are not covered by the Act.

Fix the money problem, not just the complaint

A complaint will not put cash in your hands this month. Ask the company you owe for a payment plan first; Xcel Energy, for one, offers payment arrangements, and our page on rent and utility help in Denver lists more. Credit unions may offer small loans at lower cost, so check their membership rules. Federal credit union payday alternative loans charge at most 28% interest plus an application fee of at most $20. As an illustration, $1,000 at 18% over 12 months is about $91.68 a month and about $100.16 in interest.

This article is educational and is not financial or legal advice. Before you borrow, confirm the lender is licensed with the Colorado Attorney General — Consumer Credit Unit (UCCC Administrator), and read the fee disclosure in full.