Consumer complaint received 2026-06-07 00:00:00
Product: Payday loan, title loan, personal loan, or advance loan — Title loan
Issue: Problem with the payoff process at the end of the loan — 
Company: CCF Intermediate Holdings LLC
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU COMPLAINT Complaint Against : TitleMax XXXX Texas XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX : XXXX XXXX Phone : XXXX Email : XXXX Subject : Alleged Deceptive Practices, Obstruction of Refinance and Payoff Efforts, Mishandling of Title Processing, and Resulting Financial Harm SUMMARY OF COMPLAINT I am submitting this complaint to report what I believe were deceptive and unfair practices by TitleMax XXXX Texas and its affiliate Community Choice Financial. The conduct described below interfered with my attempts to refinance, pay off, and ultimately sell my vehicle, causing significant financial harm, including homelessness and the disruption of my self-employment business. I respectfully request that the CFPB investigate the actions of TitleMax, including the conduct of employees involved in my account, the handling of payoff and title-processing requests, the representations made to me regarding additional financing, and the companys treatment of third-party refinance and payoff transactions. BACKGROUND On or about XX/XX/XXXX, I obtained a title loan from TitleMax secured by my XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX : XXXX ), which had approximately XXXX miles at the time. I received approximately {$3000.00} in loan proceeds. Given the value of the vehicle and the substantial equity remaining in it, I later sought additional financing when I experienced a liquidity crisis. When I contacted TitleMax regarding additional funds, I was informed that the only money available would be the remaining amount under the existing loan and that I would first need to pay accrued interest in order to access those funds. Because I was already experiencing financial hardship, this was not a practical solution. As a result, I began seeking refinancing and title-loan buyout options through third-party lenders. THIRD-PARTY REFINANCE EFFORTS I contacted Advantage Finance and XXXX lenders regarding refinancing the TitleMax loan. XXXX XXXX indicated that it XXXX be able to assist me and began evaluating my application. Because my vehicle contained substantial equity beyond the amount owed to TitleMax, I believed that refinancing would allow me to obtain funds necessary to address my financial emergency while paying off the TitleMax loan. Eventually, a payoff transaction was initiated that required cooperation from TitleMax due to title-processing and lien issues associated with the loan. TITLEMAX CONTACTS ME AFTER LEARNING OF THE REFINANCE ATTEMPT After TitleMax became aware that another lender was attempting to refinance and pay off the loan, I was contacted by store XXXX XXXX XXXX. XXXX asked whether I would be interested in obtaining another loan through TitleMax instead of refinancing elsewhere. This was surprising because prior attempts to obtain additional funds through TitleMax had been unsuccessful. I specifically asked whether the process could be started online because I lived a significant distance away and was experiencing financial hardship. I was told that I needed to physically return to the store. I explained that : I was actively working with another lender. Driving to the store would cost me valuable time and money. Delays could jeopardize the refinance process already underway. Despite this, I was encouraged to come to the store and was told that every effort would be made to obtain approval. XX/XX/XXXX STORE VISIT On XX/XX/XXXX, I traveled to the TitleMax location and completed the requested process. After the process was completed, I was informed that I had been denied and that the only money available remained the small unused portion of the existing loan, which would require payment of accrued interest before it could be accessed. I later learned that TitleMax generally does not refinance its own active title loans and does not issue a new loan secured by collateral already subject to an active TitleMax XXXX. Had this information been disclosed before I made the trip, I would have continued pursuing the refinance transaction rather than interrupting that process. I requested documentation regarding the application and denial but was not provided meaningful supporting documentation. LETTER OF GUARANTY AND PAYOFF ISSUES Following the denial, I informed XXXX XXXX that XXXX XXXX required specific information to be included in a Letter of Guaranty in order to complete the refinance and payoff process. XXXX instructed me to provide the necessary information regarding XXXX XXXX and represented that the information would be entered into TitleMaxs system and preserved for processing purposes. The information was provided, and I was led to believe that it had been scanned into the account and retained. However, when the XXXX XXXX XXXX was later issued, the information provided by XXXX XXXX was missing. As a result, additional delays occurred and the refinance process could not move forward as expected. EMAILS DOCUMENTING THE DELAYS Email communications show that I repeatedly notified TitleMax and Community Choice Financial that the Letter of Guaranty did not contain the information required by XXXX XXXX and that corrections were needed. Those communications also show that I specifically warned TitleMax that time was critical because interest was accruing daily and delays were causing financial harm. Multiple TitleMax and Community Choice Financial personnel were copied on these communications, including XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, and title-processing personnel. Despite these notifications, delays continued and multiple versions of the required documents allegedly contained errors or omissions. ADVANTAGE FINANCE WITHDRAWS As the delays continued, the transaction became increasingly difficult and complicated. Ultimately, the refinance opportunity was lost, leaving me without access to the funds that I had expected to receive through the refinance process. AUTO NATION VEHICLE PURCHASE ATTEMPT After my financial situation worsened and I became homeless, I attempted to mitigate my damages by selling my vehicle. I contacted XXXX located at : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, Texas XXXX XXXX evaluated my vehicle and offered approximately {$22000.00} for its purchase. Because the amount owed to TitleMax was significantly less than the value of the vehicle, the transaction would have paid off the TitleMax loan and provided liquidity that I could use to secure housing and stabilize my financial situation. However, after the offer was made, AutoNations vehicle purchasing department informed me that they were unable to proceed because TitleMax was blocking the transaction through the XXXX title process. As a result, I was unable to access the equity in my vehicle despite having a willing purchaser and a substantial amount of equity remaining. XXXX XXXX The consequences of these events have been severe. As a direct result of the failed refinance, delays, title-processing issues, and inability to access the equity in my vehicle : XXXX continued to accrue. I lost access to desperately needed liquidity. I was unable to secure stable housing. I ultimately became homeless and was forced to live in my vehicle. My ability to generate income was substantially impaired. I have been self-employed for approximately XXXX years. My business depends on stable housing, reliable transportation, access to communications, and the ability to conduct operations on a consistent basis. Living in my vehicle has significantly disrupted my ability to maintain normal business operations, serve clients, generate income, and support myself. EFFORTS TO MITIGATE DAMAGES I made repeated efforts to mitigate my damages. These efforts included : Seeking refinancing through third-party lenders. Cooperating with payoff requests. Attempting to sell the vehicle through XXXX. Attempting to use the vehicles substantial equity to secure housing and stabilize my financial situation. Despite these efforts, I was unable to obtain the liquidity needed because the refinance failed and the vehicle sale could not be completed. EVIDENCE AVAILABLE I possess substantial evidence supporting this complaint, including : Audio recordings of conversations with TitleMax personnel. Email communications. XXXX of XXXX requests and responses. Communications with XXXX XXXX. Phone records and call logs. Documentation relating to the attempted refinance and payoff process. In addition to the documentary evidence described above, I possess multiple audio recordings of conversations with TitleMax personnel, including recordings made during the time period relevant to this complaint. These recordings contain statements regarding the loan application process, representations concerning information being entered into TitleMaxs system, discussions regarding payoff and refinance procedures, and communications relating to the handling of my account. Copies of these recordings can be provided upon request and are attached as supporting exhibits where permitted. I respectfully request that regulators review these recordings as part of a thorough investigation into whether TitleMax employees made inaccurate representations, entered false or misleading information into company systems, failed to follow applicable lending and title-processing requirements, or otherwise engaged in conduct that contributed to the issues described in this complaint, in conjunction with the documentary evidence, internal account notes, emails, and title-processing records maintained by TitleMax and its affiliates XXXX REQUEST FOR INVESTIGATION I respectfully request that the CFPB investigate whether TitleMax and/or Community Choice Financial engaged in : Unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices ( UDAAP ). Misrepresentations regarding refinancing or additional financing. Improper handling of payoff and refinance requests. Improper delays or obstruction relating to title-processing activities. Failure to provide accurate information and documentation. Conduct that interfered with legitimate efforts to refinance, sell collateral, or access vehicle equity. I further request that the CFPB obtain and review all internal account notes, scanned documents, recordings, emails, title-processing records, payoff requests, Letter of Guaranty requests , and communications relating to my account. Finally, I request any relief available under applicable federal and state consumer-protection laws and any corrective action deemed appropriate by the CFPB following XXXX investigation. Submitted by : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation