Lake at a glance
- Population: 468, the 205th-largest community in Mississippi out of 299 (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023).
- 2020 Census base: the 2020 count put the population at 476 (US Census Bureau).
- 2020 to 2023 change: a loss of about 1.7% since the 2020 count (US Census Bureau).
- Rank among Mississippi places: 205th out of 299 Census places (US Census Bureau).
- Size percentile: about 31% of Mississippi's Census places are smaller (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: the Census Gazetteer places it at 32.3300, -89.3144.
- Nearest larger cities (120-mile radius): Forest, MS (10 mi); Newton, MS (10 mi); Decatur, MS (14 mi); Walnut Grove, MS (20 mi); Morton, MS (20 mi) (US Census Bureau).
- Nearest smaller communities: Montrose, MS (15 mi); Sebastopol, MS (16 mi); Hickory, MS (17 mi) (Census populations).
What a personal loan costs in Lake
A personal loan gives you the full amount at once and spreads repayment over a set number of months at a fixed payment.
The APR is the comparable price of a loan since it folds in fees; model any offer with the personal loan calculator first.
A longer term reduces what you owe each month and increases the total interest, which is the trade-off to weigh before choosing one.
If you are consolidating debt, the loan only helps if you stop adding to the balances it clears; otherwise the total debt grows.
Mississippi lending rules that apply in Lake
Where a figure is not published by the state, the row points to the source instead of guessing.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Small-loan / installment lender licensing | Small loan license required (Small Loan Regulatory Law; Miss. Code § 75-67-105) Source says: "No person shall engage in the business of lending money ... without being the holder of a valid and subsisting license" | Mississippi Department of Banking and Consumer Finance as of 2026-09-16 |
| State lending regulator | Mississippi Department of Banking and Consumer Finance (DBCF) Source says: "The Mississippi Department of Banking and Consumer Finance's (DBCF) mission is to regulate, supervise and safeguard financial institutions chartered and licensed in Mississippi" | Mississippi Department of Banking and Consumer Finance as of 2026-09-16 |
| Delayed-deposit (payday) fee caps | $20 per $100 advanced on checks ≤$250; $21.95 per $100 on checks over $250 (DBCF rule) Source says: "Delayed deposit transaction: $20.00 per $100.00 advanced for checks $250.00 and under" | Mississippi Secretary of State (DBCF administrative regulations) as of 2026-09-16 |
| Maximum legal interest rate (usury cap) | See the latest published figure value_text left null: the maximum finance charge for licensed small-loan lenders is set by Miss. Code § 75-17-21, which § 75-67-119 references as the limit; no retrievable official page published the current figure for direct verification. | Mississippi Department of Banking and Consumer Finance as of 2026-09-16 |
| Payday lending status | Legal and licensed — check cashers (delayed-deposit/payday transactions) are licensed consumer-finance industries regulated by DBCF (Miss. Code § 75-67-501 et seq.) Source says: "These industries include Money Transmitter, Small Loan, Check Cashers, Pawnbroker, Title Pledge, Consumer Loan Broker" | Mississippi Department of Banking and Consumer Finance as of 2026-09-16 |
How to compare offers in Lake
These steps are the ones that most affect the offer you receive in Lake:
- Pull your free credit reports and dispute any error — it is the cheapest way to improve the rate you are offered.
- Run your figures through the personal loan calculator on this site so you know the payment before a lender quotes one.
- Pre-qualify with at least three lenders and compare the APR, not the interest rate.
- Check that the lender is licensed in Mississippi using the regulator named above.
- Read the disclosure for origination fees and any prepayment penalty before you sign.