Pontotoc at a glance
- Population: 5,882, the 58th-largest community in Mississippi out of 299 (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2023).
- 2020 Census base: 5,629 residents (US Census Bureau, 2020 Census).
- 2020 to 2023 change: a gain of roughly 4.5% between the 2020 count and the 2023 estimate (US Census Bureau).
- Rank among Mississippi places: 58th of the state's 299 Census places (US Census Bureau).
- Size percentile: it is larger than about 81% of the places in Mississippi (US Census Bureau).
- Coordinates: it sits at 34.2509, -89.0083 in the US Census Bureau Gazetteer.
- Nearest larger cities within 120 miles: Tupelo, MS (16 mi); New Albany, MS (17 mi); Oxford, MS (31 mi); Amory, MS (35 mi); Booneville, MS (38 mi) (US Census Bureau).
- Nearest smaller communities: Algoma, MS (5 mi); Ecru, MS (7 mi); Thaxton, MS (10 mi) (Census populations).
What a personal loan costs in Pontotoc
A personal loan is an installment loan: you receive a lump sum and repay it in fixed monthly payments over a set term, usually two to seven years.
APR, not the simple interest rate, reflects what the loan actually costs once fees are included; the personal loan calculator puts a figure on it.
The term is the lever: extend it and the payment falls while total interest climbs; shorten it and the reverse happens.
Shop with more than one lender and treat pre-qualification as an estimate, since the final terms follow a full application.
Mississippi lending rules that apply in Pontotoc
Read the table as the compliance picture for a lender serving Pontotoc: label, sourced figure, publisher and date.
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
How to compare offers in Pontotoc
A few practical steps will make the process in Pontotoc less costly:
- 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.