Personal loans in North, SC
North sits inside South Carolina, where a single set of consumer-lending rules governs every lender that operates. The Census estimates 676 people in North, larger than about 35% of the communities in South Carolina. The 2020 count to the 2023 estimate shows about 2.6% decline. Every figure below is South Carolina's own, carrying the publisher and the retrieval date. Pull your credit reports, line up at least three offers, and model the payment before you apply. The closest larger city is Swansea, SC about 9 miles away.
Borrowing in North: the local picture
Read the local figures below as context; read the sourced South Carolina table as the rulebook a lender here must follow.
- Population: the Census counts 676 residents in North (Vintage 2023 subcounty estimate), the 176th-largest figure among South Carolina's 271 places.
- Population trend: A loss of roughly 2.6% between 2020 and 2023.
- Size percentile: by population it outranks roughly 35% of the places in South Carolina.
- Location: coordinates 33.6164, -81.1030 (US Census Bureau Gazetteer).
- Nearest larger cities: Swansea (9 mi); Gaston (14 mi); Orangeburg (16 mi); St. Matthews (19 mi); Pine Ridge (20 mi). Online lenders reach North no matter how far the nearest branch is.
- Nearest smaller towns: Woodford (4 mi); Livingston (4 mi); Neeses (6 mi) — useful context for the surrounding area.
What South Carolina law requires in North
When the state does not publish a figure, the row links to the source instead of inventing a number.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Payday lending status | Legal for licensed deferred presentment providers; max $550 advanced at one time; fee limited to 15% of principal; term up to 31 days; 2025 repeal bill S.379 introduced but not enacted. Source says: "The total amount advanced by a licensee to any customer at one time for deferred presentment or deposit may not exceed five hundred fifty dollars" (34-39-180(B)); fees capped at "fifteen percent of the principal amount of the transaction" (34-39-180(E)). | South Carolina Legislature (S.C. Code of Laws) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Small-loan / installment lender licensing | Consumer Finance Division licenses and regulates companies making consumer loans with APRs exceeding 12% (Title 37 Consumer Protection Code; Consumer Finance Act, Title 34, ch. 29). Source says: "The Consumer Finance Division (CFD) licenses and regulates the business activities of all companies... that make consumer loans which have annual percentage rates exceeding 12%." | South Carolina State Board of Financial Institutions - Consumer Finance Division as of 2026-09-16 |
| State lending regulator | South Carolina State Board of Financial Institutions - Consumer Finance Division (Office of the Commissioner of Consumer Finance) Source says: "South Carolina State Board of Financial Institutions Office of the Commissioner of Consumer Finance" (site heading). | South Carolina State Board of Financial Institutions - Consumer Finance Division as of 2026-09-16 |
| Supervised loan threshold (state-specific rule) | Consumer loans with a finance charge above 12%/year are "supervised loans" requiring licensed supervised lenders; supervised lenders may charge up to 18% per year on unpaid balances. Source says: "Supervised loan means a consumer loan in which the rate of the loan finance charge exceeds twelve percent per year" (37-3-301); "eighteen percent per year on the unpaid balances of principal" (37-3-201(2)(c)). | South Carolina Legislature (S.C. Code of Laws) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Maximum legal interest rate (usury cap) | 8.75% per annum statutory legal rate where no rate is agreed (judgment rate: Wall Street Journal prime + 4 points). Source says: "the legal interest shall be at the rate of eight and three-fourths percent per annum" (S.C. Code 34-31-20(A)). | South Carolina Legislature (S.C. Code of Laws) as of 2026-09-16 |
What a North personal loan looks like
A longer term lowers the monthly payment on a North loan but raises the total interest, so the smallest payment is not always the cheapest loan. The quoted APR tracks your credit score: an excellent file may earn a single-digit rate, while damaged credit can push the rate into the high twenties or thirties. Read the full disclosure before signing; the written terms are the ones that count.
A pre-application checklist for North
A sensible order of operations for a loan in North:
- Order your free credit reports and dispute anything inaccurate — it is the cheapest way to move the rate you are offered.
- Price the payment first with our personal loan calculator before any lender quotes you.
- Pre-qualify with three or more lenders, then compare the APR rather than the interest rate.
- Confirm the lender holds a South Carolina licence by checking the regulator named above.
- Do not borrow more than the expense calls for, even if a lender approves a larger amount.
Common questions
What are my options in North if my credit is poor?
What loan size can I expect in North?
Do I have to pledge anything to borrow in North?
Does comparing loans in North cost me credit score points?
Nearby places
- Woodford, SC — population 155
- Livingston, SC — population 128
- Neeses, SC — population 313
- Swansea, SC — population 760
- Norway, SC — population 276
- Gaston, SC — population 1,632
- Perry, SC — population 206
- Salley, SC — population 349