Who is actually suing me — the plaintiff name looks strange?

Tower Loan sues through state entities: Tower Loan of Mississippi, LLC; Tower Loan of Missouri, LLC doing business as your local branch; and in Louisiana, Gulfco of Louisiana, LLC d/b/a Tower Loan of your town. If one of those names is on your summons, it is the same storefront lender you borrowed from — and as the original creditor, it is the right plaintiff, so the fight is usually about the amount, not ownership.

Does Tower Loan really take people to court?

Yes, historically at volume: ProPublica's court-data analysis counted 4,834 Missouri suits from 2009 to 2013 and at least 3,235 in Hinds County, Mississippi in the same period — roughly half of all high-cost-lender suits in that county. The company has said it sues only as a last resort; newer comprehensive counts have not been published, but its suits appear in court records through the present.

What should I check before paying a Tower Loan lawsuit?

The math. ProPublica documented contracts specifying attorney fees of one-third of the delinquent amount, credit insurance sold through Tower's own affiliated insurers packed into loans, and judgments accruing 30%+ interest — one $381 judgment grew to $3,253 over five years. Ask for the payment history, how each renewal restructured the balance, and what portion of the claim is insurance, fees, and interest rather than money you borrowed.

Has Tower Loan faced regulatory enforcement?

The FTC, twice, over credit-insurance disclosures: a 1992 consent order for failing to include mandatory insurance costs in loan disclosures, and a 1997 consent decree — $240,000 in consumer redress plus a $100,000 penalty — after the redress from the first order was miscalculated. There is no CFPB enforcement action against Tower Loan (checked July 2026). A private class action over insurance premiums settled for $6.62 million covering 1993-2001 borrowers.

How many CFPB complaints does Tower Loan have?

The CFPB consumer complaint database records 1,457 complaints under Tower Loan of Mississippi, Inc. (all-time, checked July 2026), led by debt-collection, installment-loan, and credit-reporting issues. Complaints are consumer-submitted reports, not verified findings of wrongdoing.

Is Tower Loan legit, or is it a scam?

Legitimate — a real lender operating since 1936, majority-owned by Prospect Capital Corporation since 2012. But legitimate is not the same as proven: in court it still has to support the balance it claims, including every renewal, insurance premium, fee, and interest charge inside that number.

What should I do if Tower Loan is suing me?

Check your response deadline first — it runs from the date you were served. Then file a timely Answer denying what you cannot verify and demand the account history. Court records show Tower wins mostly when borrowers do not respond; a Louisiana appeals court refused to confirm one of its default judgments for insufficient evidence, which is exactly why answering matters.

Lender profile

Tower Loan

Also known as: Tower Loan of Mississippi, LLC, Tower Loan of Missouri, LLC, Gulfco of Louisiana, LLC, First Tower Loan, LLC

Last reviewed 2026-07-10 · By John DiSalle, founder of Answered

Quick answer

If Tower Loan is suing you, start with the deadline and proof path.

Tower Loan is a storefront installment lender founded in 1936 and headquartered in Flowood, Mississippi, with more than 260 branches across eight states. It still has to connect the lawsuit to your account, the claimed amount, and the state deadline — the safest first step is to check the response window before reading deeper background.

Check first: state, court type, service date, plaintiff name, and any hearing or return date.
Then: review whether the papers show ownership, account records, amount, and timeliness.

Next step

If you just opened court papers, check the deadline before you keep reading.

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Next 10 minutes: find the service date, court name, case number, plaintiff, and any hearing date on your papers.

Use the next few minutes to check state, service date, plaintiff, and the court listed on your papers. If Answered supports the case, you can unlock a file-ready self-help packet later. Everything for one supported case in one unlock: the court-ready self-help Answer, your case's proof-issue report in full, filing checklist, service checklist, deadline reminders, document organizer, next-step and hearing-prep tools, email support, and case-scoped self-help information using your saved facts, citations, and approved Answered templates; chat does not tell you what to file or predict outcomes. Paid step stays simple: one unlock, the Full Defense Packet - $99 or $33 x 3 weeks. No interest. No credit check. No subscription.

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See what the Full Defense Packet looks like before paying.

This is a fictional, watermarked example with no real personal data. It shows the packet shape: fictional caption, answer structure, filing checklist, service checklist, and proof-review worksheet. Your documents depend on your facts, the court listed on your papers, state rules Answered supports, and what you choose to review before filing.

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Fictional caption + answer structure

Court-formatted response

Fictional caption, sample admissions/denials structure, affirmative-defense prompts, and signature area.

Filing checklist + service checklist

What to do after download

Review, sign, file with the court, serve the plaintiff, save proof, and calendar the next court notice.

Proof-review worksheet

Debt-buyer proof issues

Ownership chain, amount support, standing, account documents, timing, and service issues to organize for review.

Illustrative only. The sample is intentionally incomplete and is not a usable filing template, legal advice, attorney review, or a prediction of any outcome.

Flowood, MSFounded 1936Installment lender (original creditor) that suesCFPB enforcement history

Tower Loan is a storefront installment lender founded in 1936 and headquartered in Flowood, Mississippi, with more than 260 branches across eight states. It sues its own borrowers under state-specific entity names — Tower Loan of Mississippi, LLC; Tower Loan of Missouri, LLC d/b/a the local branch; Gulfco of Louisiana, LLC d/b/a Tower Loan of your town — which is why the plaintiff on a summons can look unfamiliar even to its own customers. Court data analyzed by ProPublica counted 4,834 Missouri collection suits from 2009 to 2013 and at least 3,235 in Mississippi's Hinds County alone in the same window, with contracts specifying attorney fees of one-third of the delinquent amount and judgments that kept accruing interest at 30% or more.

Case fit check

Check your Tower Loan case fit

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Payment happens only after you see deadline orientation, case-fit information, and a preview path. Answered is self-help software, not a law firm.

32-state Full Defense Packet eligibility

Consumer debt lawsuit defense in 32 states. Start free — Answered checks whether it can build your Answer before you pay anything.

Corporate structure

Who owns Tower Loan?

Tower Loan is owned by or affiliated with First Tower Finance Company LLC, a portfolio company of Prospect Capital Corporation.

Loan and account types Tower Loan sues over include: Its own installment loans (roughly $600-$6,000 online; larger in-branch), Renewed and refinanced loans (a documented pattern in its portfolio), Credit insurance add-ons sold through its affiliated insurers.

Proof checklist

What to check before you admit, pay, or ignore the lawsuit

A debt-buyer profile is useful only if it helps you act on the papers in front of you. Start with deadline and court track, then review these proof points before default pressure becomes the main issue.

Exact plaintiff identityCompare the caption against Tower Loan, any servicer, parent company, and the collection law firm. The named plaintiff has to be the entity with authority to sue.

The contract and the mathTower Loan usually originated the account it sued on, so ownership is rarely the fight — the math is. Check the agreement, the payment history, how payments were applied, interest and fees, any add-on products like credit insurance, and (for auto loans) the repossession notices and deficiency calculation.

Amount and timingCheck charge-off balance, payments, credits, interest, fees, last payment date, and the limitations period in the state where the lawsuit was filed.

Records and affidavit foundationReview whether the complaint relies on original-creditor records, account statements, a business-record affidavit, or a summary that leaves proof gaps.

Common issues to review may include whether the plaintiff can prove ownership chain, amount, standing or authority to sue, account documents, timing, service, and assignment paperwork. Answered helps you preserve and organize issues for review; it does not decide what arguments you should make. Consumer debt lawsuit defense in 32 states. Start free — Answered checks whether it can build your Answer before you pay anything. Check your deadline free before any paid packet decision.

Regulatory history

CFPB and regulatory enforcement

Enforcement record

No CFPB enforcement action exists against Tower Loan (checked July 2026). Its regulatory history is with the FTC: a 1992 consent order found it failed to include the cost of mandatory credit insurance in loan disclosures, and a 1997 federal consent decree over miscalculated redress from that order required $240,000 in consumer refunds plus a $100,000 civil penalty, without an admission of violation.

Your next steps

What to do if Tower Loan is suing you

1
Find your deadline immediatelyYou have a limited number of days to file your Answer after being served — typically 20 to 35 days depending on your state. Missing this deadline results in a default judgment. Check your state’s guide for the exact deadline.
2
Review the amount, not just the debtTower Loan likely owns the account it sued on, so the leverage is usually the math: interest, fees, add-on products, how your payments were applied, and — for auto loans — whether the repossession sale and deficiency were handled properly. A timely Answer preserves every one of those challenges.
3
Check the statute of limitationsCollection plaintiffs sometimes sue on old accounts. If the limitations period in your state has run since your last payment or the charge-off date, you may have a complete defense. Look up the state guide for your jurisdiction.
4
File your Answer — even if you plan to settleFiling a timely Answer preserves all your defenses and gives you leverage to negotiate a better settlement. Do not ignore the lawsuit expecting it to go away. See your state’s defense guide.

Next step

If you just opened court papers, check the deadline before you keep reading.

Check your deadline free

Not sure what to do next? Start with the free deadline check.

Next 10 minutes: find the service date, court name, case number, plaintiff, and any hearing date on your papers.

Redacted sample

See what the Full Defense Packet looks like before paying.

Start free preview

Fictional caption + answer structure

Court-formatted response

Fictional caption, sample admissions/denials structure, affirmative-defense prompts, and signature area.

Filing checklist + service checklist

What to do after download

Review, sign, file with the court, serve the plaintiff, save proof, and calendar the next court notice.

Proof-review worksheet

Debt-buyer proof issues

Ownership chain, amount support, standing, account documents, timing, and service issues to organize for review.

Illustrative only. The sample is intentionally incomplete and is not a usable filing template, legal advice, attorney review, or a prediction of any outcome.

Product preview

One $99 unlock: the Full Defense Packet, with everything included.

One product, one decision: check your deadline and proof issues free, then unlock the $99 Full Defense Packet when you are ready to respond — the court-ready Answer, your full proof-issue report, filing and service checklists, workspace tools, and email support. Pay once or split it into 3 weekly payments. The Full Defense Packet - $99 includes proof-review tools and next-step planning for Tower Loan cases.

LVNV: assignment chain, Resurgent servicing role, and account-level sale proof.

Midland: account-level purchase records, balance support, and arbitration clues.

Portfolio Recovery: ownership records, account schedule, and itemized balance support.

Other debt buyers: standing, amount, account documents, timing, and service issues.

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What happens after payment

After payment, your saved case unlocks the packet download and a filing/service checklist. Your next job is clear: review the packet, download it, sign where required, file it with the court, serve the plaintiff, save proof, and calendar the next court date or deadline.

Deadline note: Your response deadline may already be running. If you do nothing, the plaintiff may ask the court for a default judgment. Preparing and filing a response helps you avoid silence, but it does not guarantee a win, dismissal, or that every court or collection consequence stops.

Filing confidence: The checklist also includes a clerk call script, what-to-bring list, service checklist, proof-saving steps, reminder timeline, and what to do if the clerk rejects the filing. Payment unlocks more than a PDF: a filing checklist, clerk call script, what-to-bring list, service checklist, proof-saving steps, reminder timeline, and rejection troubleshooting for the supported court path.

Refund promise: 30-day product/functionality refund protection if Answered cannot generate or deliver the supported self-help product you bought because of an Answered-side issue. Refunds do not depend on the court result. The refund is about whether Answered delivered the purchased software/document workflow, not whether you win, settle, avoid default, get a dismissal, reduce the debt, or like the court outcome. Refund requests do not pause, extend, reopen, or change court deadlines, filing duties, service duties, hearing dates, or court fees.

Download help: If payment succeeds but a download does not appear, keep the page open and contact support from the account email so Answered can trace the payment and case safely.

Data handling at checkout: Stripe handles card details; Answered never sees your full card number. Answered receives payment status and keeps your case details, uploads, and generated documents in private app storage for your workspace. Answered does not sell lawsuit papers or case data.

Self-help boundary: Answered is self-help software, not a law firm, and it does not represent you. You review, sign, file, and serve the documents yourself unless a separate eligible filing service clearly says otherwise. Attorney review, legal representation, settlement negotiation, and filing service are not included unless a separate eligible service clearly says so. Answered gives you plain-English filing and service checklists, clerk-call prompts, reminders, and proof-saving steps so the next move is organized instead of improvised.

Not for you if

Answered may not be right for you if:

You already have a default judgment.
Your estimated filing deadline is immediate, unclear, or already passed.
You need legal advice or representation.
Your case is not a consumer debt case.
Your case does not pass the readiness, court, or case-type checks.

Deadline found

Your answer deadline

Plaintiff

Tower Loan

Documents

Answer + next filings

Case preview

Ownership proof
Amount issues
Deadline path

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Tower Loan

Who is actually suing me — the plaintiff name looks strange?
Tower Loan sues through state entities: Tower Loan of Mississippi, LLC; Tower Loan of Missouri, LLC doing business as your local branch; and in Louisiana, Gulfco of Louisiana, LLC d/b/a Tower Loan of your town. If one of those names is on your summons, it is the same storefront lender you borrowed from — and as the original creditor, it is the right plaintiff, so the fight is usually about the amount, not ownership.
Does Tower Loan really take people to court?
Yes, historically at volume: ProPublica's court-data analysis counted 4,834 Missouri suits from 2009 to 2013 and at least 3,235 in Hinds County, Mississippi in the same period — roughly half of all high-cost-lender suits in that county. The company has said it sues only as a last resort; newer comprehensive counts have not been published, but its suits appear in court records through the present.
What should I check before paying a Tower Loan lawsuit?
The math. ProPublica documented contracts specifying attorney fees of one-third of the delinquent amount, credit insurance sold through Tower's own affiliated insurers packed into loans, and judgments accruing 30%+ interest — one $381 judgment grew to $3,253 over five years. Ask for the payment history, how each renewal restructured the balance, and what portion of the claim is insurance, fees, and interest rather than money you borrowed.
Has Tower Loan faced regulatory enforcement?
The FTC, twice, over credit-insurance disclosures: a 1992 consent order for failing to include mandatory insurance costs in loan disclosures, and a 1997 consent decree — $240,000 in consumer redress plus a $100,000 penalty — after the redress from the first order was miscalculated. There is no CFPB enforcement action against Tower Loan (checked July 2026). A private class action over insurance premiums settled for $6.62 million covering 1993-2001 borrowers.
How many CFPB complaints does Tower Loan have?
The CFPB consumer complaint database records 1,457 complaints under Tower Loan of Mississippi, Inc. (all-time, checked July 2026), led by debt-collection, installment-loan, and credit-reporting issues. Complaints are consumer-submitted reports, not verified findings of wrongdoing.
Is Tower Loan legit, or is it a scam?
Legitimate — a real lender operating since 1936, majority-owned by Prospect Capital Corporation since 2012. But legitimate is not the same as proven: in court it still has to support the balance it claims, including every renewal, insurance premium, fee, and interest charge inside that number.
What should I do if Tower Loan is suing me?
Check your response deadline first — it runs from the date you were served. Then file a timely Answer denying what you cannot verify and demand the account history. Court records show Tower wins mostly when borrowers do not respond; a Louisiana appeals court refused to confirm one of its default judgments for insufficient evidence, which is exactly why answering matters.

State defense guides

Sued by Tower Loan? Find your state

Louisiana Missouri Illinois Alabama Texas Florida Tennessee

Know your deadline and next filing step.

Answered helps you find your deadline, identify possible issues in the plaintiff’s papers, and draft a filing-formatted Answer. One unlock if your case fits: Full Defense Packet - $99 (or $33 x 3 weeks) — everything included.

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What happens after payment

Download help: If payment succeeds but a download does not appear, keep the page open and contact support from the account email so Answered can trace the payment and case safely.