Attorney General Ellison stops online lender from charging Minnesotans nearly 700% interest
Settlement wipes out interest on existing Plain Green loans and bars future illegal lending
Third win of its kind for Minnesotans in two years
September 23, 2026 (SAINT PAUL) — Attorney General Keith Ellison today announced a court-approved settlement that ends his federal lawsuit against online lender Plain Green, LLC, which charged Minnesota consumers interest rates approaching 700 percent — more than 80 times the state’s legal cap. Under the settlement, Plain Green may collect only the original principal on existing loans, with all interest cancelled and past payments credited toward principal. The company is permanently barred from issuing illegal loans to Minnesotans going forward.
“Predatory lenders cannot hide behind a legal loophole to gouge Minnesotans with triple-digit interest rates,” said Attorney General Ellison. “My office has now stopped three of these illegal lending operations in under two years, and we're not finished.”
Attorney General Ellison’s lawsuit, filed in March 2026, detailed how Minnesota consumers turned to Plain Green for emergency cash — typically loans of $350 to $1,500 — only to discover interest rates dozens of times higher than what state law permits. When consumers questioned the legality, Plain Green told them Minnesota law didn’t apply because the company is owned by a federally recognized Native American tribe. The Attorney General’s Office disagreed and asserted that Minnesota’s consumer-lending laws govern conduct directed at Minnesota residents regardless of a lender’s ownership.
The Attorney General’s Office pursued the case in a manner that respects the sovereignty of Plain Green’s tribal owner. Because federally recognized tribes hold sovereign immunity, the settlement does not impose penalties or monetary damages. Instead, it requires Plain Green to bring its lending practices into compliance with Minnesota law and ends collection of unlawful interest, an approach Attorney General Ellison’s office says balances consumer protection with respect for tribal sovereignty.
Today’s settlement is the third that Attorney General Ellison has secured against tribal-owned online lending that engaged in illegal practices in Minnesota.
- In February 2024, Attorney General Ellison reached a settlement with Bright Lending, Green Trust Cash, and Target Cash Now, stopping them from conducting predatory lending and collecting illegal interest. The Attorney General’s Office sued them for issuing thousands of loans to consumers in Minnesota that charged between 400–800% annual interest, in violation of Minnesota and federal consumer-lending laws.
- In November 2024, Attorney General Ellison reached a settlement with 12 unlawful online lenders owned by LDF Holdings, LLC, requiring them to cancel existing loan balances likely totaling more than $1 million and stop further lending at illegal interest rates between 200-800%.
Minnesota consumers who have taken out loans from Plain Green can contact the Attorney General’s Office for further information about the lawsuit. Minnesota consumers subject to loans from other brick-and-mortar or online lenders that charge excessive interest rates or that engaged in fraudulent or other unlawful conduct can also file a complaint by calling (651) 296-3353 (Metro area) or (800) 657-3787 (Greater Minnesota).
