Buffalo Lake Lending Review
Installment loan · Reviewed June 2026
“A Crow Creek (DEDC) lender with shorter terms (3–12 months) and a lower $15 late fee than its REDCO peers — a slightly gentler structure on an otherwise high-cost loan.”
At a Glance
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Best for
Borrowers who want a shorter 3–12 month term and a lower late fee, for amounts up to $2,000.
Buffalo Lake Lending Pros & Cons
thumb_upPros
- checkShorter terms (3–12 months) than many peers
- checkLower $15 late fee (vs $20 elsewhere)
- checkNo hard FICO minimum
- checkOperating since 2021 under Crow Creek/DEDC
thumb_downCons
- closeAPR disclosed only in the agreement (high triple-digit)
- closeLower ceiling ($2,000)
- closeExcluded in ~20 states plus PR/VI
- closeDoesn't publish a credit-reporting policy
Who Buffalo Lake Lending is
Buffalo Lake Lending — operating as Bison Lending — is an enterprise of the Dakota Economic Development Corporation (DEDC), the economic arm of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe in Fort Thompson, South Dakota. It has operated since 2021 and is named (alongside Bison Lending) in a Washington DFI consumer alert about unlicensed tribal lenders.
Rates, fees & real cost
Buffalo Lake lends $200 to $2,000 over a 3-to-12-month term — shorter than the 10–18 months its REDCO cousins use — and charges a relatively low $15 delinquency fee for payments 9+ days past due. It discloses the APR in the loan agreement rather than publishing it, so treat the rate as high triple-digit. Ignore the '4.95–35.95%' figure on some aggregator pages — that's a boilerplate template, not Buffalo Lake's actual rate.
Where it lends
Buffalo Lake does not lend to residents of Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, DC, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, or West Virginia, nor Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Compare Buffalo Lake Lending With Other Tribal Lenders
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Buffalo Lake Lending FAQ
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How We Rate Lenders
We score each lender from 1 to 5 on cost, transparency, funding speed, eligibility, and customer support. High-cost products score lower on cost by design. Ratings are editorial, independent, and updated as terms change.
Independent & not affiliated. Tribal Installment Loans is an independent resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Buffalo Lake Lending. Buffalo Lake Lending and related names are trademarks of their respective owners. We may be compensated when you visit partner sites. Figures are indicative, may change, and vary by borrower — verify current terms directly with the lender.