Disclosure:
This page, written with the assistance of ChatGPT, reflects the philosophy of Boyledown Lending Inc., a consumer finance company licensed by the Virginia State Corporation Commission (license #CFI-256). It is intended as informational content but also promotes the company’s lending model. As such, it is considered an advertisement.

Lending is a relationship — not a transaction.

Boyledown Lending Inc. holds this belief dear. We learned it from David Graeber and his book, Debt: The First 5,000 Years.

Our Philosophy

📘 The Book That Started It

Graeber’s key insight: true lending involves risk. When you loan money and earn profit, that profit compensates you for taking a chance on someone.

But in much of modern lending, the lender’s risk is reduced through third-party debt collectors, legal enforcement like wage garnishment, repossessions, and frozen accounts. These tools may suit some lenders and borrowers — but not us. And not our borrowers.

At Boyledown, we keep lending personal. We stay involved throughout the loan’s life, retain the loan ourselves, and share the responsibility that comes with trust. We don’t aim to remove every element of risk —

because thoughtful risk is what makes lending meaningful. Not blind risk, but risk rooted in conversation, clarity, and care.

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Why Personal Lending Matters

Lending History and Mutual Accountability

1. Lending has always been more than money.
   Before credit scores, algorithms, or contracts, lending was governed by reputation, relationships, and mutual reliance. When lending becomes purely transactional, that history and accountability erode.
2. History helps us ask better questions.
   Today’s credit systems didn’t appear overnight — they evolved over centuries. Some changes brought progress; others shifted power. Knowing this history helps us ask: Who benefits? Who’s protected? What’s been lost?
3. Forgetting the past makes abuse easier.
   When lending is stripped of its roots, it becomes easier to justify predatory practices — sky-high APRs, endless fees, harsh collections. Lending used to be built on trust and community — and it can be again.
4. Lending isn’t just money — it’s power.
   Loan decisions affect lives: health, housing, opportunity, dignity. Removing the human element makes it harder to question fairness. History reminds us that lending is part of a larger story about how people care for — or exploit — one another.
5. Impersonal lending can lead to harm.
   Automated decisions, assignments and third-party debt collectors detach lenders from consequences. Borrowers become risk scores or revenue streams. This detachment fuels cycles of default and predatory practices.
6. Personal lending restores mutual accountability.
   It’s a two-way promise: borrowers repay, lenders stay involved, assess responsibly, and stand by their product. Knowing who you’re borrowing from and who they are builds trust and fairness.
7. It changes how we define success.
   In impersonal lending, success means repayment plus interest. In personal lending, success includes understanding, stability, lasting relationships, and lender support.

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Mutual Accountability Matters

1. Because borrowing isn’t one-sided.
   Lending isn’t just a borrower’s promise to pay — it’s a lender’s promise to lend fairly, transparently, and responsibly. At Boyledown, we ask ourselves: “Are we offering something worth accepting?”
2. Because it balances power.
   Lenders hold money, terms, contracts. Staying personally involved means owning decisions, not hiding behind systems or third parties.
3. Because it prevents harm.
   Predatory lending thrives when one side is accountable and the other isn’t. Mutual accountability shares responsibility for a good outcome — reducing defaults and strengthening relationships.
4. Because it reflects real life.
   Accountability in human relationships is mutual. That builds trust and safety. Lending should be no different.

At Boyledown, you’re not just a risk. We’re not just a creditor. We’re partners in a promise.

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A Moral Debt — Not Just a Monetary One

At Boyledown, debt is moral — not about guilt or shame, but mutual obligation and respect.

When you borrow from us, we’re betting on your future. We ask for your engagement: understanding, questions, shared responsibility. And we do the same.

We don’t use collections or sell loans for profit. We hold loans ourselves, for the full term, because we believe in shared responsibility. We service the loans too!

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Our Process Reflects This Belief

Our process is personal and our underwriting is manual. It includes:

• A one-on-one conversation
• A short quiz on the loan’s terms (to confirm clarity)
• A brief written statement (to share your thinking)

This isn’t gatekeeping — it’s making sure we’re both serious.

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Loan Terms and Conditions

• Loan Amount: $3,000
• Loan Term: Your choice of 1, 2, or 3 years
  • APR: 12% simple interest — we could charge more, but choose not to.
    • Virginia law caps interest rates for consumer loans to protect borrowers. Under Virginia’s Consumer Finance Act (Va. Code § 6.2-301 et seq.), the maximum allowable interest rate on certain consumer loans that an unlicensed person could lend to a consumer borrower with a written contract is 12% interest.
    • We honor this limit, lending responsibly and fairly, even though higher rates (up to 36%) might be legally permissible.
• Payments: Fixed monthly installments
• No late fees, no hidden clauses, no loan assignments, no credit reporting.

Simple. Transparent. Fair.

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Why Choose “Boyledown”?

Because we aim to boil it down — not just the loan itself, but the complex ecosystem of modern lending.

We offer a model that’s smaller, clearer, and more honest.

If that resonates with you, maybe this is a debt worth taking on — and repaying with pride.