522291 Consumer Lending

Official definition

This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in making unsecured cash loans to consumers.

Examples Census gives

• Finance companies (i.e., unsecured cash loans)
• Personal credit institutions (i.e., unsecured cash loans)
• Loan companies (i.e., consumer, personal, student, small)
• Student loan companies

Source: US Census Bureau, 2022 NAICS descriptions.

When to use a different code

Census classifies these close-sounding activities somewhere else. Businesses mainly engaged in:

• Accepting deposits and lending funds from these deposits are classified in Industry Group 5221, Depository Credit Intermediation.
• Arranging loans for others on a commission or fee basis are classified in Industry 522310, Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers.
• Servicing loans or providing check cashing services are classified in Industry 522390, Other Activities Related to Credit Intermediation.
• Providing credit sales by issuing credit cards are classified in Industry 522210, Credit Card Issuing.
• Factoring accounts receivables are classified in U.S. Industry 522299, International, Secondary Market, and All Other Depository Credit Intermediation.

Source: US Census Bureau, 2022 NAICS cross-references.

Activities listed under 522291

The Census index assigns these 8 activities to this code. If your business matches one, this is your code.

• Consumer finance companies (i.e., unsecured cash loans)
• Consumer lending
• Finance companies (i.e., unsecured cash loans)
• Loan companies (i.e., consumer, personal, small, student)
• Personal credit institutions (i.e., unsecured cash loans)
• Personal finance companies (i.e., unsecured cash loans)
• Small loan companies (i.e., unsecured cash loans)
• Student loan companies

Source: US Census Bureau, 2022 NAICS index file.

SBA size standard for 522291

To count as a small business for SBA loans and federal contracts under NAICS 522291, your business (including affiliates) must not exceed $47 million in average annual receipts. Check your business.

Source: SBA table of size standards, effective March 17, 2023.

Closest UK SIC 2007 codes

There is no official one-to-one link between NAICS and UK SIC. These codes share the same international class (ISIC Rev. 4: 6492), so treat them as a starting point and check the definition.

• 64921Credit granting by non-deposit taking finance houses and other specialist consumer credit grantorsUK SIC
• 64922Activities of mortgage finance companiesUK SIC
• 64929Other credit granting n.e.c.UK SIC

Built from Census concordances 2022→2017 NAICS and 2017 NAICS→ISIC Rev. 4.

Similar codes to compare

• 522292Real Estate Credit
• 522299International, Secondary Market, and All Other Nondepository Credit Intermediation