🎉🎉🎉 In the last year BetterFi saved clients more than $1,097,000!
BetterFi Spring Report '26:
Chattanooga Anniversary, New AI Cashflow Tools, Economic Headwinds
BetterFi is a 501(c)3 economic justice enterprise and CDFI dedicated to transforming consumer credit in Tennessee to be more fair, more accessible, and a pathway out of predatory lending. More at www.betterfi.co.
🐰🪄 We made $431,000 in
predatory debt disappear!
In the year since opening our Chattanooga office, BetterFi shattered our original projection of $250,000 anddisbursed $431,284, with the two largest counties represented being Hamilton County and Grundy County. This conservatively represents savings of $1,097,455 that our clients would otherwise have paid predatory lenders.
Cumulatively, BetterFi has now disbursed more than $1,155,800– equating to savings for our clients ofmore than $2,962,000.
A note we received a couple of weeks ago from one of our Chattanooga clients!
📊 Another Small Step for BetterFi...
BetterFi disbursed our first microenterprise loan! We extended a small bridge loan to enable Oui Oui Boulangerie to utilize a reimbursable signage grant from River City Company.
Check out Oui Oui Boulangerie owner Johann on Let's Chatt.
🤖 Cash/Flow Snapshot
The first version of BetterFi's Cash/Flow Snapshot tool is now live – the tool will instantaneously analyze up to 12 months of bank or card account data to generate income and spending insights.
We are looking for people and partners that might help us test, improve, and build out specific use cases for the tool as we aim toward a mobile-friendly version accessible to all later this year.
The image to the left links to an example of the tool's output.
🧭 Road Ahead
Even with consumers retrenching and conventional credit access retracting, we are pushing ahead to create a durable alternative to predatory lending that can create entry points to affordable credit and off-ramps from debt traps.
If you or your organization would like to be part of solving accessible consumer finance, reach out.
📰 Did you miss us on...
12/5/25 - Beneficial State Foundation and URJ Webinar on How AI Is Reshaping Underwriting
4/17/26 - News Channel 9: What NOT to do with your tax refund
📢 More from BetterFi & on predatory lending ...
🤝 BetterFi Partner Highlight: SCCF
The South Cumberland Community Fund has been with us from the beginning – supporting BetterFi with technical assistance, help via AmeriCorps, and with grant support. We would not exist today were it not for SCCF taking a chance funding an alternative to predatory lending.
While refinancing predatory debt is at the core of our mission, BetterFi also recognizes the need for, seemingly in contradiction, more expansive and more accessible financial tools across the board. SCCF has enabled our pursuit of this, building our capacity to provide a more comprehensive alternative to predatory lending.
Just a few of the things SCCF supported BetterFi in:
the creation of our client online portal
our credit bureau reporting integration
automatic document generation
our Plaid underwriting integration
the development of our cashflow analysis tool
Thank you to the team and supporters of SCCF for all you have done for BetterFi and for making the South Cumberland Plateau a better place!
And as always, if you are reading this, thank you for your support and partnership. We cannot continue our work without help from people like you.
If you would like additional information, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Spike
Executive Director
BetterFi
spike@betterfi.co
Follow us online for more updates:
Our mailing address is:
PO Box 8004
Chattanooga, TN 37414