Personal loans in St. George, SC
When you compare personal loans in St. George, South Carolina, the figure to hold side by side is the APR, not the advertised rate. St. George ranks 122nd of 271 places in South Carolina, with a population near 1,834. Census figures put the 2020-to-2023 decrease at about 0.2%. Lenders active in South Carolina report to a state supervisor, identified in the sourced rows below. Verify the lender's South Carolina licence against the regulator named below. The nearest larger city is Walterboro, SC about 20 miles away.
Borrowing in St. George: the local picture
Set out below is St. George's local context next to the state-level rules that reach every lender here.
- Population: 1,834 residents; St. George is the 122nd-largest of 271 places in South Carolina (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023).
- Population trend: The 2020-to-2023 change is negative, near 0.2%.
- Size percentile: about 55% of South Carolina's Census places are smaller than it.
- Location: mapped by the US Census Bureau at 33.1861, -80.5795.
- Nearest larger cities: Walterboro (20 mi); Summerville (26 mi); Orangeburg (27 mi); Bamberg (27 mi); Denmark (33 mi). Lenders licensed in the state serve St. George whether or not they keep a local branch.
- Smaller communities close by: Reevesville (4 mi); Harleyville (8 mi); Bowman (13 mi), each with its own Census population profile.
What South Carolina law requires in St. George
Each figure in the table below carries a publisher and a date; where the state publishes nothing, we point to the source rather than estimate.
| 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 St. George personal loan looks like
A personal loan can fold higher-rate debt together, fund a planned expense, or absorb a one-off cost — provided the payment fits without new borrowing. Checking your credit report before you apply — and disputing any error — is the single highest-leverage step toward a better rate. Read the full disclosure before signing; the written terms are the ones that count.
A pre-application checklist for St. George
Before you apply in St. George, complete these steps:
- 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.
- Write down the purpose of the loan and your repayment plan before you apply.
Common questions
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Nearby places
- Reevesville, SC — population 195
- Harleyville, SC — population 718
- Bowman, SC — population 765
- Holly Hill, SC — population 1,252
- Branchville, SC — population 971
- Smoaks, SC — population 98
- Cottageville, SC — population 711
- Ridgeville, SC — population 1,629