The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians in North Dakota has launched a payday lending business.

BlueChip Financial provides loans over the Internet. The company employs 12 people and plans to hire more.

"It's going to create jobs that we are happy to have on the reservation," Chairman Merle St. Claire told The Minot Daily News. "We just don't have employment opportunities so this is going to create one more avenue for people to go to work."

The tribe is using the services of ZestFinance to determine who is worthy of a loan. The company will be reporting loan information to credit bureaus.

The tribe is a member of the Native American Financial Services Association. St. Claire sits on the board.

Get the Story:
Turtle Mountain tribe launches online loan service (The Minot Daily News 7/19)
A boost in economy (The Minot Daily News 7/19)

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