Editorial Policy

This is how PayKedge decides what goes on the page — and what doesn't. Our rules keep the advice honest and the numbers solid. Here's the full breakdown so you can judge for yourself.

What does PayKedge actually cover?

Three things: what loans cost, what's legal where you live, and where to find better options.

Our money pages break down definitions and run real-dollar cost comparisons. We rank alternatives by what you actually pay. Our state hubs map the legal framework across all 50 states — statutory cites, regulator contact info, and how city rules stack on top. Our city pages get practical: which local ordinances matter, where to file complaints, what lenders actually operate on the ground.

We do not cover every financial product. We cover the ones where a wrong choice costs borrowers the most.

How does a page get built?

Seven steps, no shortcuts. Each page starts with a topic brief. From there it moves through research, drafting, fact-checking, legal review, publication, and finally into a 12-month review cycle. That last part matters — a page does not sit frozen. It gets revisited, rechecked, and updated on the calendar.

The 12-month cycle is hard-coded. Not "when someone remembers." Every page. Every year.

Where do the facts come from?

Four tiers, ranked by trust. We pull from the highest tier available, and we document which one we used.

• Tier 1 — Primary regulators and statutes: CFPB, state Attorneys General, state banking and consumer-finance regulators, U.S. government sources. This is the bedrock.
• Tier 2 — Public records and government data: OCCC and equivalent state portals, CFPB Consumer Complaint Database, FDIC and NCUA call reports, Census income/poverty tables.
• Tier 3 — Peer-reviewed and nonprofit research: Pew Charitable Trusts small-dollar lending project, Center for Responsible Lending, National Consumer Law Center, NBER working papers.
• Tier 4 — Original reporting and industry data: Our own interviews on file, industry trade-association data, lender-disclosed APR ranges — clearly labeled as the lender's own claim, not ours.

Tier 1 and Tier 2 carry the weight. See how our fact-checking works for the exact verification protocol.

What happens if a fact doesn't check out?

It comes down. Immediately.

Here's the rule: the fact-checker pulls every numeric claim, every legal citation, every regulator name, and every dollar figure, and matches each to a Tier-1 or Tier-2 source. If that match cannot be made within 48 hours, the claim is removed from the page until support is found. Not softened. Not "sourced to Tier 3 instead." Removed.

This applies to updates too. A page in its 12-month review cycle gets the same treatment as a new draft.

Can AI write the numbers?

No.

AI may not generate citations, statute numbers, or dollar figures. Only humans pull and verify those against Tier-1 sources. AI can help structure a draft, suggest phrasing, or compile background. But the moment a number, law citation, or regulator name appears, a human has sourced it from a Tier-1 or Tier-2 document and signed off.

This is not a preference. It is a hard stop in our workflow.

Your quick trust check

Run any PayKedge page through this list:

1. Is every dollar figure traceable to a government source or clearly labeled as a lender's own claim?
2. Does the state page cite a specific statute or regulator you can look up yourself?
3. Are cheaper alternatives presented without being buried in fine print?
4. Was the page published or last reviewed within its 12-month cycle?
5. If a number feels wrong, is there a clear path to report it?

We apply this same checklist to our own work before any page goes live. You can read about who owns and funds PayKedge, or see the full fact-checking policy for deeper detail.

Questions borrowers actually ask

Our rules exist because borrowers make high-stakes decisions from what they read here. We do not take that lightly.