Personal loans in St. Matthews, KY
A lender serving St. Matthews holds a Kentucky license and answers to a Kentucky regulator, not to any city office. The Census estimates 17,356 people in St. Matthews, larger than about 94% of the communities in Kentucky. The 2020 count to the 2023 estimate shows about 1.2% decline. State law, not city hall, decides what a lender may do in Kentucky, and a state regulator supervises it; the source is named below. Read the disclosure for an origination fee and any prepayment penalty before signing. A larger market lies at Jeffersontown, KY about 5 miles away.
Borrowing in St. Matthews: the local picture
Set out below is St. Matthews's local context next to the state-level rules that reach every lender here.
- Population: a Census-estimated 17,356, 25th among Kentucky's 416 places (Vintage 2023).
- Population trend: The 2020-to-2023 change is negative, near 1.2%.
- Size percentile: roughly 94% of Kentucky's places have fewer residents.
- Location: latitude 38.2493, longitude -85.6378 (Census Gazetteer).
- Nearest larger cities: Jeffersontown (5 mi); Jeffersonville (7 mi); Clarksville (9 mi); New Albany (11 mi); Mount Washington (15 mi). A bigger neighbour may offer more branches; the rate you see still follows your credit, not your address.
- Smaller towns nearby: Richlawn (0 mi); Norbourne Estates (1 mi); Beechwood Village (1 mi).
What Kentucky law requires in St. Matthews
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum legal interest rate (usury cap) | Up to 19% per annum, or 4% over the 90-day commercial-paper discount rate, whichever is less (by written agreement) Source says: "At a per annum rate not to exceed four percent (4%) in excess of the discount rate on ninety (90) day commercial paper ... or nineteen percent (19%), whichever is less". | Kentucky Legislative Research Commission (Kentucky Revised Statutes) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Payday lending status | Permitted under license (deferred deposit service business; payday loans) Source says: "The Kentucky Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) has secured the services of Veritec Solutions, LLC to provide a common database with real-time access for deferred deposit transactions". | Kentucky Department of Financial Institutions as of 2026-09-16 |
| Small-loan / installment lender licensing | Consumer Loan Company license required (KRS Chapter 286.4) Source says: "How to License a Consumer Loan Company: 1. Read KRS 286.4 and the applicable administrative regulations under KAR 808, Chapter 6". | Kentucky Department of Financial Institutions as of 2026-09-16 |
| State lending regulator | Kentucky Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) Source says: "The Department of Financial Institutions' mission is to serve Kentucky residents by promoting access to a stable financial industry, implementing effective and efficient regulatory oversight". | Kentucky Department of Financial Institutions as of 2026-09-16 |
| Consumer Loan Company license — statutory basis | License required from the commissioner to make loans at a greater rate of interest than otherwise permitted by law Source says: "No person shall, without first obtaining a license from the commissioner, engage in the business of making loans ... at a greater rate of interest". | Kentucky Legislative Research Commission (Kentucky Revised Statutes) as of 2026-09-16 |
What a St. Matthews personal loan looks like
Most personal loans made to St. Matthews residents are unsecured, so no collateral is pledged and the lender leans on your credit history. Deciding what the loan is for, and what you will do differently afterward, matters more than the headline rate. Borrowing is a decision to make calmly, not one to rush.
A pre-application checklist for St. Matthews
Before you apply in St. Matthews, 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 Kentucky licence by checking the regulator named above.
- Choose a term you can live with; stretching it lowers the payment but raises total interest.
Common questions
What are my options in St. Matthews if my credit is poor?
What loan size can I expect in St. Matthews?
Do I have to pledge anything to borrow in St. Matthews?
Does comparing loans in St. Matthews cost me credit score points?
Nearby places
- Richlawn, KY — population 410
- Norbourne Estates, KY — population 431
- Beechwood Village, KY — population 1,259
- Woodlawn Park, KY — population 932
- Windy Hills, KY — population 2,403
- Maryhill Estates, KY — population 181
- Bellewood, KY — population 335
- Meadowview Estates, KY — population 429