Our independent research examines the real expenses of short-term credit and its typical users — featuring uniform cost analyses and consumer studies, all dated and with documented methods. All materials on this page are available for journalists and researchers to use, provided they credit us.
Reporting on payday loans often depends on promotional rates or one state's regulations. We create datasets enabling direct, fair cost comparisons.
Operating as a nationwide lead generator, Big Daddy Loans observes the significant price differences for identical loans across state borders. This disparity is seldom clear to consumers, who view an individual offer rather than a market standard — and it's frequently overlooked in media reports. To address this, we release our own investigations: consistent cost analyses and borrower surveys that add necessary perspective. Every report is complete, has a publication date, and explains its approach so the analysis can be verified.
The content provided is available for citation, quotation, and linking, as long as Big Daddy Loans is credited. Members of the press can ask for the original data or to speak with the study's author — refer to the contact details at the bottom of this page.
Research from Big Daddy Loans, available without charge for citation by journalists and academic investigators, with attribution.
A straightforward outline of each report's focus and purpose, helping you assess its relevance before using it as a source.
Pairs the Federal Reserve’s finding that 37% of US adults can’t cover a $400 emergency with cash against what borrowing that same $400 actually costs — showing the fee swings from about $5 in 36%-APR-cap states to about $100 in the most expensive states, driven by state law rather than the borrower’s credit. Built on Fed SHED 2025 plus our statutory cost model.
Calculates the total dollar amount and effective APR for a typical $300, 14-day single-payment loan across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. — developed using the official fee structures and rate limits from each state. This tool lets you evaluate states on equal footing, focusing on real costs instead of advertised terms.
A survey of recent short-term loan customers detailing their reasons for borrowing, lender selection process, how they repaid, and knowledge of cheaper options. Offers insight into borrower motivation and choices, presented with sample details and survey dates on the report page.
A concise summary of our research approach and data sources.
Methodology & sourcing
Big Daddy Loans is a lead-generation service, not a lender. Our research is editorially independent of the lender-matching business and does not promote any specific lender. Where a study touches on Big Daddy Loans’s own service, that relationship is disclosed in the study.
Guidance on referencing this research and contacting our team.
Our reports are designed as a resource for journalists writing on consumer finance, scholars researching small-dollar loans, and policy analysts evaluating state systems. You can copy charts and data points with clear attribution to Big Daddy Loans and a link to the original study. To request the raw data for a cost model, ask about methodology, or schedule an interview with the analyst, get in touch with our editorial team through the editorial policy page. We answer sincere media inquiries within two business days.
Straightforward, comparative reviews of how Big Daddy Loans measures up to competing services and more affordable alternatives.