Personal loans in Swansea, SC
If you are considering a personal loan in Swansea, South Carolina, begin with the monthly payment you can carry and work backward. Swansea is a small community, with roughly 760 residents and a size rank of 168th in South Carolina. The 2020 count to the 2023 estimate shows about 5.1% growth. 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. A larger market lies at Gaston, SC about 5 miles away.
Borrowing in Swansea: 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: 760 residents; Swansea is the 168th-largest of 271 places in South Carolina (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023).
- Population trend: Growth of about 5.1% across the 2020-to-2023 comparison.
- Size percentile: roughly 38% of South Carolina places rank below it.
- Location: latitude 33.7400, longitude -81.1045 (Census Gazetteer).
- Nearest larger cities: Gaston (5 mi); Pine Ridge (11 mi); South Congaree (12 mi); Cayce (15 mi); Springdale (15 mi). Online lenders reach Swansea no matter how far the nearest branch is.
- Smaller communities within reach: Woodford (5 mi); North (9 mi); Pelion (9 mi).
What South Carolina law requires in Swansea
When the state does not publish a figure, the row links to the source instead of inventing a number.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
What a Swansea personal loan looks like
Because a personal loan payment is fixed, the total cost is knowable in advance — the main difference from a credit card, where the balance revolves. The familiar mistake is to move a card balance into a personal loan and then run the cards back up, which doubles the debt instead of clearing it. Deal only with a lender licensed in South Carolina, which you can check with the regulator named below.
A pre-application checklist for Swansea
Before you apply in Swansea, 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.
- Read the disclosure for an origination fee and any prepayment penalty before signing.
Common questions
What are my options in Swansea if my credit is poor?
What loan size can I expect in Swansea?
Do I have to pledge anything to borrow in Swansea?
Does comparing loans in Swansea cost me credit score points?
Nearby places
- Woodford, SC — population 155
- Gaston, SC — population 1,632
- North, SC — population 676
- Pelion, SC — population 625
- Pine Ridge, SC — population 2,293
- South Congaree, SC — population 2,385
- Livingston, SC — population 128
- Neeses, SC — population 313