How We Create Our Content
Every guide and lender review on AurelisIQ is built on real data — not opinions, not AI-generated filler, not marketing copy. Here's exactly how we research, write, and validate the information on this site.
Our data sources
| Data Type | Source | How We Use It |
|---|---|---|
| State lending laws | State statutes, CFPB, NCSL | APR caps, payday legality, borrower protections for each state |
| Lender data | Lender websites, terms pages, rate disclosures | APR ranges, fees, loan amounts, funding speed, state availability |
| Ratings & complaints | BBB, Trustpilot, CFPB complaint database | Lender reputation, accreditation status, common issues |
| Regulatory actions | CFPB, FTC, state attorneys general | Enforcement actions, fines, consent orders against lenders |
| Real questions | Reddit communities, Google search data | Topic discovery — what people actually need help with |
How we write credit guides
- Research real questions. We analyze posts from communities like r/povertyfinance, r/personalfinance, and r/CRedit, plus Google search suggestions, to find the questions people with credit challenges actually ask.
- Ground content in real data. Every state-specific guide includes actual regulatory data — APR caps, relevant statutes, regulator names and contact information. We don't say "check your state's laws" — we tell you what those laws are.
- Calculate real costs. We compute total repayment amounts at standard loan sizes ($500, $1,000, $2,500) so you can see what a loan actually costs in dollars, not just percentages.
- Include comparison tables. Every guide includes structured comparisons — payday vs. installment vs. credit union, or multiple lenders side by side — so you can evaluate your options at a glance.
- Show the downsides. We name specific risks, flag lenders with undisclosed APRs, and highlight regulatory actions. If a lender charges 400% APR, we say so and show you what that means in real money.
How we review lenders
Our lender reviews are based entirely on publicly available information. We don't accept payment for reviews, and we don't adjust ratings based on business relationships. Here's what we evaluate:
- APR and fees — We report the actual rates disclosed by the lender. If a lender doesn't publicly disclose their APR, we flag that as a concern.
- BBB rating and accreditation — We check whether the lender is BBB-accredited and what their rating is. We note that a high BBB rating doesn't necessarily mean low rates — it reflects complaint responsiveness.
- Trustpilot and borrower reviews — We report the score and review count. We note patterns in complaints when they're significant.
- Regulatory history — We check CFPB enforcement actions, FTC cases, and state attorney general actions. These are reported prominently, not buried.
- State availability — We track which states each lender serves, so you can find options that actually work where you live.
Our APR color system
We color-code APR ranges across the site to help you quickly assess cost:
Under 36% — Reasonable (credit union range)
36–100% — Expensive (significantly above market)
100–300% — Very expensive (subprime installment range)
300%+ — Extremely expensive (payday/tribal range)
Undisclosed — Lender doesn't publicly share APR (a red flag)
What we don't do
- We don't guarantee approval from any lender
- We don't provide personalized financial advice — our content is educational
- We don't hide negative information about lenders to protect partnerships
- We don't invent state laws or regulatory data — if we don't have confirmed data, we say so
Corrections and updates
Lending laws change, lenders update their terms, and we occasionally make mistakes. If you spot something that's inaccurate or outdated, please email us at hello@aurelisiq.com and we'll investigate and update the content.