---
title: "Westlake Financial Review: Its Fees, Record and Complaints"
description: "Westlake Financial charges $5.00 to pay by card or phone, offers dealers up to 2% rate participation, and consented to a 2015 CFPB order. What its records show."
url: "https://baronauto1.com/financing/westlake-financial-review/"
type: "article"
published: "2026-10-06"
modified: "2026-10-06"
site: "Baron Auto"
disclaimer: "This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership."
---

# Westlake Financial Review: Its Fees, Record and Complaints

> Westlake Financial charges $5.00 to pay by card or phone, offers dealers up to 2% rate participation, and consented to a 2015 CFPB order. What its records show.

*Car Loans & Credit · 21 min read · 4,817 words*

## The short version

- Westlake Financial (Westlake Services, LLC) is a real, privately held lender, formed in 1988, that buys car loans from dealers and collects the payments. You rarely apply to it directly: the dealer sends your application, and Westlake’s dealer page offers programs down to “No minimum credit score.”
- The dealer can earn on your rate. Westlake tells dealers they “can receive up to 2% dealer participation for certain credit tiers.” A pre-approval from a bank or credit union gives you a rate to compare.
- Paying from a bank account through MyAccount is free. Card and phone payments cost $5.00 each where the fee applies, MoneyGram $9.95 and PayNearMe $3.99. A class action over the $5.00 fee settled for $1.2 million in 2026; Westlake denied wrongdoing.
- In 2015 the CFPB ordered Westlake and its title-loan subsidiary Wilshire Consumer Credit to provide $44.1 million in relief and pay a $4.25 million penalty over collection calls made behind fake caller ID. They consented without admitting or denying the findings. In 2017 Westlake settled a Justice Department case over repossessions from servicemembers.
- The CFPB database holds 14,224 complaints naming Westlake Services, LLC, received through 5 October 2026; 5,575 are about the car loan itself, led by account management, repossession (1,299) and title trouble after payoff (411). Complaints are unverified, and counts grow with a lender’s size.
- BBB lists Westlake as Not Rated and not accredited, with 2,072 complaints in 3 years and a 1.07 average from 507 reviews. Trustpilot shows 1.2 from 155 reviews on a profile Westlake has not claimed.

Westlake Financial is a legitimate, long-running auto lender whose programs reach down to buyers with no minimum credit score, and it has a public enforcement record and payment fees worth knowing before you sign. On 6 October 2026 we read Westlake’s [Customer FAQ](https://www.westlakefinancial.com/faq/), [Terms of Use](https://www.westlakefinancial.com/terms-of-use-2/), [dealer program page](https://www.westlakefinancial.com/indirect-auto-finance/), privacy notices, call-and-text consent and servicemember page; the CFPB’s [2015 enforcement action](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/actions/westlake-services-llc-dba-westlake-financial-services-llc/) and consent order; the signed 2017 Justice Department settlement; the Massachusetts Division of Banks’ 2017 consent order; the federal court’s final approval order in the payment-fee class action; CFPB complaint counts; and Westlake’s BBB and Trustpilot profiles. We entered nothing into Westlake’s application or account pages, so no rate or payment here is ours. This site has no commercial relationship with Westlake or any lender.

**Figure: What each way of paying Westlake costs**

A nine-row table pairing each way of paying a Westlake Financial loan with the fee Westlake’s Customer FAQ prints: recurring and one-time payments from a checking or savings account in MyAccount are free; debit or ATM card payments online, the automated phone line and a live representative each carry a $5.00 processing fee that the FAQ says is not charged in some states; PayNearMe cash payments at 7-Eleven or Family Dollar cost $3.99 and are not offered in New Mexico, Hawaii or Oklahoma; CheckFree locations start at $1.50; MoneyGram costs $9.95; a mailed check or money order has no fee printed.

Read from Westlake Financial’s Customer FAQ and Terms of Use on 6 October 2026. The FAQ names no states where the $5.00 fee is waived. A class action over the fee settled for $1.2 million in 2026; Westlake denied wrongdoing.

## Who Westlake is, and how you end up with a Westlake loan

Westlake calls itself “a technology-based, privately-held finance company that specializes in the acquisition and servicing of prime to subprime automotive retail installment contracts.” The word to notice is acquisition. A dealer writes your contract and sends the application to lenders through systems such as DealerCenter, Dealertrack, RouteOne or CUDL, which Westlake’s dealer page names. If Westlake buys the contract, you pay Westlake for the rest of the loan. The CFPB put it plainly in 2015: “Westlake purchases loans from auto dealers nationwide.”

That makes Westlake an indirect lender, not a [buy-here-pay-here dealer](https://baronauto1.com/financing/buy-here-pay-here/): the business that sold you the car is usually not the one you pay. Its privacy policy also mentions “indirect auto purchase prequalification credit decisions from third-party websites (e.g., CarGurus.com or Autotrader.com),” so a shopper can meet Westlake on a listing site before reaching the lot.

The family is larger than the name. Westlake’s affiliates page says it “is one arm under the Hankey Group of Companies.” Its November 2024 privacy notice is issued jointly with Wilshire Consumer Credit, a title lender that also trades as LoanCenter, INeedCashNow and 1800CarTitle, with Western Funding Incorporated and with Westlake Direct, and lists affiliates including Nowcom Corporation and GlobalTrack GPS, LLC. Westlake Portfolio Management services loans for other lenders, including “Collections” and “Repossessions.” Westlake’s about page claims “over 50,000 new and used car dealerships,” “more than 1,200 employees” and “Over $3.0 Billion in Total Managed Assets”; we did not check those figures.

Its pages disagree about basic facts. The about page heading reads “A Full-Spectrum Lender for More Than 26 Years,” while the same page says “Formed in August of 1988,” which is 38 years by our arithmetic and matches BBB. The about page says “Headquartered in Southern California” and the Terms say the site’s owner “is based in the state of California,” yet the footer of the same pages prints a “Corporate Address” in Las Vegas, Nevada. None of this changes your loan; it shows the pages are not kept in step.

## What Westlake tells dealers: four credit tiers and a share of your rate

Westlake’s indirect auto finance page is written for dealerships, and it is the frankest document Westlake publishes about how its loans are put together. It promises dealers “100% automated credit decisions and lightning fast approvals 24/7/365” and says “Westlake offers Titanium, Platinum, Gold and Standard programs for customers of any credit score!”

**Westlake’s four dealer programs, as its dealer page described them on 6 October 2026**

| Program | Credit score | Longest term | Largest loan | What the page offers the dealer |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Titanium | 750+ | 72 months | Not printed | Rates “as low as 4.99%,” up to 2% dealer participation, dealer fees and down payments “as low as $0” |
| Platinum | 700 to 749 | 72 months | $50,000 | “Up to 2% Dealer Participation only with no chargebacks,” “low dealer fees” |
| Gold | 600 to 699 | 72 months | $50,000 | Up to 2% dealer participation; “Prior Repossessions accepted” |
| Standard | 0 to 599 | 72 months | $25,000 | “No minimum credit score”; “Lender fees as low as $349”; no participation figure printed |

Three things on that page matter to a borrower. The first is “up to 2% dealer participation.” Participation is the part of your interest a lender lets the dealer keep when the dealer writes your rate above the rate the lender approved, often called the buy rate. Westlake does not define the term; it offers it on three of the four tiers as a reason for dealers to send deals. On a $20,000 balance, 2 percentage points is $400 a year of interest at the starting balance, by our arithmetic, shrinking as the loan is paid down. Our guide to [why the contract rate can differ from the rate your score earns](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/#buy-rate) explains the mechanism.

The second is the only rate printed: “as low as 4.99%,” for the Titanium tier, which needs a score of 750 or more. Nothing is printed for the other tiers, and the Standard tier, for scores from 0 to 599, has the smallest maximum loan: $25,000, half the Platinum and Gold limit. A floor advertised for prime borrowers tells you nothing about a subprime contract.

The third is the deal tools. Auto-Structure, the page says, works out a deal “with the highest net check using the customer’s desired monthly payment & down payment”; the net check is what the dealer receives. I-Maxx uses “a preferred down payment amount and monthly payment amount” to find every car on the lot “in which a customer can be approved.” Both start from the payment you name, so agree the [out-the-door price](https://baronauto1.com/buying-guides/out-the-door-price/) first. The Standard tier’s “lender fees as low as $349” are charged to the dealer, and the page does not say who ends up bearing them; our guide to [dealer fees](https://baronauto1.com/financing/what-are-dealer-fees/) covers the lines you can question.

**Walk in with a rate of your own.** Westlake offers dealers up to 2 percentage points of participation on its upper tiers, and its tools are built around the payment you say you can afford. A [pre-approval](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-loan-preapproval/) from a bank or credit union tells you whether the dealer’s offer has been marked up. Ask which lender is buying the contract before you sign.

## Paying Westlake: MyAccount, the phone line, and what each method costs

Westlake’s online account is MyAccount; the “Make A Payment” and “Sign In” links on its home page lead to the [MyAccount login](https://myaccount.westlakefinancial.com/wfsWebsite/login), and customer service is (888) 739-9192, the number its Terms and FAQ print. What a payment costs depends on how you make it.

**Ways to pay Westlake and the fees its Customer FAQ printed on 6 October 2026**

| How you pay | Fee | What the FAQ adds |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Recurring payments from checking or savings (MyAccount) | Free | “Set up recurring payments every month” |
| One-time payment from checking or savings (MyAccount) | Free | Paid through MyAccount |
| Debit or ATM card (MyAccount) | $5.00 | Not charged in some states |
| Automated phone line, bank account or card | $5.00 | Not charged in some states |
| Live representative by phone | $5.00 | Not charged in some states |
| Cash through PayNearMe at 7-Eleven or Family Dollar | $3.99 | Not offered in New Mexico, Hawaii or Oklahoma |
| CheckFree payment locations | From $1.50 | “can vary by your state” |
| MoneyGram | $9.95 | Walk-in |
| Check or money order by mail | None printed | “Be sure to include your account number” |

The footnote on every $5.00 fee reads: “processing fee is not assessed in some states. Depending on the state you reside in, you may be assessed a processing fee of $5.00 by a third-party processor or Westlake. To find out which is applicable to you, please check your next bank statement.” It names no states. The Terms say such a fee “will be specified”; the FAQ sends you to a statement that arrives after you have paid. Paid by card on every installment of a 72-month loan, $5.00 comes to $360 by our arithmetic.

Timing matters too. The Terms say “Payments made to your account before 5:00 PM Pacific Time will be posted to your account the same day”; later payments and those made “on weekends, or holidays” post the next business day, then “reflect on your payment history within 2 business days after posting.” A scheduled payment “can be canceled 24 hours prior to the payment date” by phone. Mailed payments go to different addresses for monthly payments, payoffs and insurance money, all listed in the FAQ.

## The payment-fee class action, and what it settled

The $5.00 fee was the subject of a class action, Klare v. Westlake Services, filed in California state court on 20 June 2023 for breach of contract and violations of California’s Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and Unfair Competition Law, and moved by Westlake to the federal court for the Central District of California on 4 August 2023 (Case No. 2:23-cv-06386). In the court’s summary, the complaint alleged that “Defendant charges borrowers fees of $5.00 for payment processing.”

The class is people with a contract assigned to Westlake who paid a convenience fee to ACI Payments, Inc. on a Westlake payment; the court-appointed settlement site gives the window as 20 June 2022 to 18 August 2025. Westlake agreed to “a non-reversionary gross settlement amount of $1.2 million,” and the court granted final approval on 8 June 2026. By 21 May 2026 the administrator had 15,058 valid claims covering an estimated 15,296 accounts, a claims rate of 6.1%, with “an estimated pro-rata cash payment per account of $52.98.” Class counsel received $300,000 in fees.

Westlake “denies all allegations and claims against it in the Action, all wrongdoing and/or liability,” its settlement agreement says, and the settlement site adds “The Court has not decided who is right.” The claim deadline, 8 July 2026, has passed. We found no term in the agreement requiring Westlake to drop or change the fees, and its FAQ still listed them on 6 October 2026.

**Figure: Annotated photograph**

Three numbered callouts over the photograph mark the seat belt, the dashboard and the road ahead, with Westlake's dealer rate participation, its card and phone payment fee, and the GPS devices it markets to dealers.

Westlake Financial’s dealer page, read on 6 October 2026, offers dealers up to 2% dealer participation (callout 1); its Customer FAQ prints a $5.00 processing fee for card and phone payments, not charged in some states, while bank payments in MyAccount are free (callout 2); and it markets GPS devices to dealers that can remotely disable vehicles when delinquent (callout 3). The photograph is illustrative.

## The 2015 CFPB consent order

On 30 September 2015 the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a consent order against Westlake Services, LLC and Wilshire Consumer Credit, LLC in an administrative proceeding, docket 2015-CFPB-0026, and announced it on 1 October 2015. It describes Westlake as specializing “in purchasing and servicing subprime and near-subprime auto loans.” The companies consented “without admitting or denying any of the findings of fact or conclusions of law,” except the facts needed for the CFPB’s jurisdiction. What follows are the CFPB’s findings, not a court’s.

The findings centre on Skip Tracy, a web service that let collectors choose the number and caller ID text a borrower would see. The CFPB said collectors used it “to place or receive calls associated with over 137,000 loan accounts” from January 2010. Caller ID showed phrases such as “Repo,” “Repossession Services” or “Asset Recovery,” and collectors posed as repossession companies. Other calls displayed “Pizza Delivery” or “Flower Shop,” and some appeared to come from borrowers’ own family and friends.

Two findings bear on repossession and cost. From at least January 2010 until at least April 2014, borrowers whose cars had been repossessed got calls tagged “Storage,” some implying a partial payment would release the car, when “the companies would actually only release a repossessed vehicle after a borrower paid the full amount due.” The companies also “changed the due dates or extended the terms of loans without borrowers’ permission, causing more interest to accrue.” Wilshire advertised title loans with monthly rates “in 2012 and 2013, without disclosing the loans’ annual percentage rate.” The CFPB said these practices violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Truth in Lending Act and the Dodd-Frank Act.

The order required “approximately $44.1 million in redress,” of which “approximately $25.8 million in cash” and the rest in balance reductions, for approximately 176,115 consumers, plus a civil money penalty of $4,250,000: $48.35 million in all by our arithmetic. The companies were “restrained from” using “any means to alter the information displayed on Caller ID” and from changing due dates or extending loans without “obtaining consumers’ informed consent.” The order’s term was 5 years, ending 30 September 2020 by our arithmetic absent a new action, and the CFPB lists the matter as “Expired/Terminated/Dismissed,” meaning no “ongoing compliance obligations.” A search of the CFPB’s enforcement list for “westlake” and for “wilshire” on 6 October 2026 returned this action and no other.

## The servicemember settlement, Massachusetts, and the full record

On 27 September 2017 the Justice Department sued Westlake and Wilshire in the Central District of California (Civil No. 2:17-cv-07125) under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, alleging they violated it “by repossessing motor vehicles” from protected servicemembers “without court orders.” Both sides signed a settlement that day. justice.gov refused our requests, so we read the signed agreement Westlake links from its [servicemember page](https://www.westlakefinancial.com/benefits-for-military-personnel/). It records that “The United States has determined that the Defendants conducted 70 motor vehicle repossessions between October 21, 2011 and October 21, 2016 that were not in compliance with the SCRA.” Westlake agreed to put $700,000 in escrow, pay $10,000 for each such repossession plus lost equity and interest, and pay a $60,788 civil penalty; the parties agreed to “jointly stipulate for dismissal.” The agreement ran five years, to 27 September 2022 by our arithmetic. Search results point to a 2022 amendment; we could not read it, so its terms are not described here.

In a consent order dated 25 July 2017 (Docket No. 2017-004), the Massachusetts Division of Banks alleged that Western Funding Incorporated, a Westlake subsidiary, bought 157 car contracts from 16 January 2015 to 20 December 2016 “while it was not appropriately licensed,” and that 33 had APRs above the state’s 21% limit “because WFI did not consider GAP as a finance charge.” Western Funding agreed to pay a $50,000 penalty and to refund finance charges on the 33 contracts “within 60 days”; both companies agreed “without admitting any allegations.” The order also recites a 15 March 2016 Assurance of Discontinuance in which the state Attorney General alleged Westlake’s APRs exceeded the state cap once GAP premiums were included; we did not read that document itself. The lesson travels: an add-on rolled into the loan is a finance cost too.

**Public actions naming Westlake that we read, and how each document describes the outcome**

| Date | Who | Docket or case | What it concerned | Outcome, in the document’s terms |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 30 Sep 2015 | CFPB | 2015-CFPB-0026 | Collection calls behind false caller ID, debts disclosed to third parties, due dates changed without consent, title-loan ads without an APR | Consent order “without admitting or denying”; $44.1 million relief, $4.25 million penalty; now “Expired/Terminated/Dismissed” |
| 25 Jul 2017 | Massachusetts Division of Banks | 2017-004 | Alleged unlicensed purchases by Western Funding; 33 contracts alleged over the 21% cap once GAP was counted | Consent order “without admitting any allegations”; $50,000 penalty; refunds |
| 27 Sep 2017 | US Department of Justice | 2:17-cv-07125 | Alleged repossessions from servicemembers without court orders | Settlement; $700,000 escrow, $60,788 penalty; joint dismissal |
| 8 Jun 2026 | Federal court (class action) | 2:23-cv-06386 | $5.00 processing fees on payments through ACI | Final approval of a $1.2 million settlement; Westlake denies wrongdoing |

Web searches on 6 October 2026 found no other state order naming Westlake Services, LLC; that is a search result, not a clearance. Collection suits Westlake has filed against individual borrowers also appear in search results; we read none of them.

## What 14,224 CFPB complaints are about

The CFPB’s [consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/) held 14,224 complaints naming Westlake Services, LLC, received through 5 October 2026, when we pulled the counts on 6 October 2026; Wilshire has no separate entry. Complaints are consumers’ own unverified reports, and a count grows with a lender’s size and with how many people use the CFPB form, so it is not a rate. The CFPB has published no narratives since 30 September 2026; these are counts only.

**CFPB complaints naming Westlake Services, LLC, received through 5 October 2026, by product**

| Product (CFPB label) | Complaints | Share, by our arithmetic |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Vehicle loan or lease | 5,575 | 39.2% |
| Credit reporting (three labels the CFPB has used) | 5,107 | 35.9% |
| Debt collection | 2,568 | 18.1% |
| Consumer Loan (an older CFPB label) | 411 |  |
| All other products | 563 |  |

**The five largest issues in Westlake’s 5,575 vehicle-loan complaints, with their largest sub-issues (CFPB labels)**

| Issue | Complaints | Largest sub-issues |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Managing the loan or lease | 1,972 | Billing problem 714; loan sold or transferred 460; add-on products 337; fees charged 287 |
| Repossession | 1,299 | Balance left after the car was sold 268; reinstatement or redemption 250; lender trying to repossess or disable the vehicle 163 |
| Problems at the end of the loan or lease | 727 | Unable to receive the title after payoff 411; problem paying off the loan 150 |
| Getting a loan or lease | 621 | Fraudulent loan 148; loan opened without consent 109 |
| Struggling to pay your loan | 423 | Denied request to lower payments 184; lender trying to repossess or disable the vehicle 126 |

The trend is steep. Complaints naming Westlake rose from 794 in 2022 to 1,991 in 2023, 2,195 in 2024 and 3,398 in 2025, and 2026 had reached 3,454 by 5 October. Vehicle-loan complaints about every company rose too, from 8,639 in 2022 to 20,769 in 2025, about 2.4 times; Westlake’s rose from 289 to 1,230, about 4.3 times, so its share of the category went from 3.3% to 5.9% by our arithmetic. The database cannot say whether that reflects more Westlake loans, more problems or more borrowers filing.

Westlake closed 14,188 complaints “with explanation,” 99.7% of the total, and answered all but 44 on time. Only 23 closed with monetary relief and 8 with non-monetary relief; those are the company’s own response categories, not findings. 1,159 complaints carry the CFPB’s servicemember tag.

## Repossession, GPS devices and remote disabling

Repossession runs through Westlake’s record: it is the second-largest issue in its vehicle-loan complaints, and it sat at the centre of both the CFPB order and the Justice Department case. Westlake’s dealer pages treat it as part of the market they serve; its benefits list says “Previous bankruptcies and non-Westlake repossessions OK.”

Westlake also markets tracking devices to dealers. Its [additional services page](https://www.westlakefinancial.com/additional-services/) says GlobalNow Tech devices “were built as a tool to help monitor customer behavior” and can “Automatically alert drivers when they are delinquent,” “Remotely disable vehicles when delinquent” and “Locate a vehicle for recovery.” It claims they can “increase collections by as much as 4 times and reduce repossessions by 15%”; we could not check either figure. A footnote says “Restrictions on use of GPS system as part of your sale may vary per state.” The page sells devices to dealers; it does not say a Westlake loan requires one.

**Ask whether a tracking or disabling device is fitted, before you sign.** Westlake markets devices that can “Remotely disable vehicles when delinquent,” and 289 vehicle-loan complaints about Westlake fall under the CFPB sub-issue “Lender trying to repossess or disable the vehicle,” by our count across two issue labels. Get any device’s terms in writing; our guide to [starter interrupts and GPS trackers](https://baronauto1.com/financing/buy-here-pay-here/#devices) explains what state rules cover.

After a repossession come the money questions. In Westlake’s vehicle-loan complaints, 361 fall under “Loan balance remaining after the vehicle is repossessed and sold” across two issues, 145 under “Deficiency balance after repossession,” and 250 concern reinstatement or redemption. Those are state-law questions; our guide to [car repossession](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/) covers [getting the car back](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#getting-it-back) and [the sale and the bill that follows](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/#the-sale). Given the 2015 finding about partial payments, get any promise that a payment will release your car in writing.

Servicemembers have extra protection. Westlake’s servicemember page lists SCRA benefits including “6% Annual Percentage Rate (APR)” and “Protection from repossession,” and promises a response “within 48 hours (2 business days)” of acceptable military documents. Under the 2017 settlement, Westlake agreed not to repossess a protected servicemember’s vehicle “without first obtaining a court order or valid SCRA waiver.”

## Paying off, refinancing, and getting your title

Title trouble after payoff is one of the most specific themes in the record: 411 of Westlake’s vehicle-loan complaints, 7.4%, fall under “Unable to receive car title or other problem after the loan is paid off,” and Trustpilot’s summary of recent reviews mentions “extremely long delays regarding title releases.” These are reports, not findings, but they show where to keep records.

Westlake’s home page carries “Payoff Quote” and “MyTitle Support” links. A lender refinancing your loan must send a written request stating it needs “a copy of the title for refinance purposes,” with “the 17-digit vehicle identification number and Account Number,” and the letter must be “signed by the account holder.” For title changes the FAQ warns “it can take up to 40 days for your local DMV to receive the necessary documents.” If the dealer has not registered your car, the FAQ says to chase the dealer for the first 60 days; after that, if you cannot drive the car, send Westlake a customer service request.

A refinance is the usual way out of an expensive dealer-arranged loan; our guide to [refinancing a car loan](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/) covers [what a new lender will ask for](https://baronauto1.com/financing/refinance-a-car-loan/#what-you-need). When you pay off, keep the payoff letter, the payment confirmation and the date. If the title or lien release does not arrive, a CFPB complaint creates a record Westlake has to answer.

## BBB and Trustpilot: what the public profiles show

**Westlake’s public reputation profiles, as each printed them on 6 October 2026**

| Source | What it showed | What to keep in mind |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BBB rating | Not Rated; not BBB accredited | BBB’s reason: “The business is in the process of responding to previously closed complaints.” |
| BBB complaints | 2,072 in 3 years; 572 closed in the last 12 months; 1,896 answered, 176 resolved | BBB asks readers to “consider the company’s size and volume of transactions” |
| BBB reviews | 1.07 of 5 from 507 reviews | Business started 8/29/1988, per BBB |
| Trustpilot | TrustScore 1.2 from 155 reviews: 144 one-star, 8 five-star | Unclaimed profile; no replies to the 41 negative reviews Trustpilot counts |
| Trustpilot, newest 20 | 19 one-star, 1 five-star | All unprompted; Trustpilot says it does not “fact-check reviews” |

BBB sorts the 2,072 complaints mainly into “Service or Repair Issues” (727), “Billing Issues” (569) and “Order Issues” (339). Trustpilot’s AI summary of 40 recent reviews describes difficulty “reaching a live representative on the phone” and “unexpected financial charges.” Read both in proportion: 155 reviews is a small sample for a lender that claims over 50,000 dealerships, and unhappy borrowers post more often than satisfied ones. Still, the profiles and the CFPB counts point at the same subjects: billing, reaching someone, repossession and titles.

## Before you sign a contract that will go to Westlake

Two of Westlake’s documents give you choices that are easy to miss. Its [communication consent](https://www.westlakefinancial.com/wireless-policy/), revised 11/30/15, lets Westlake “call or text you at any telephone number you provide,” including for “promotions and other marketing material,” but says “you are not required to provide this consent as a condition of submitting the Request” and that you can withdraw it, including by “replying STOP.” Its November 2024 privacy notice says you can limit sharing “For nonaffiliates to market to you” and warns that for a new customer “we can begin sharing your information 30 days from the date we sent this notice.”

- **Ask which lender is buying the contract.** If it is Westlake, you will be paying Westlake, not the dealer.
- **Bring a pre-approval from a bank or credit union.** Westlake offers dealers up to 2 percentage points of participation on its upper tiers.
- **Agree the out-the-door price before any monthly payment.** Westlake’s dealer tools work backwards from the payment you name.
- **Read every add-on line.** GAP and service contracts add to the amount financed; 337 Westlake vehicle-loan complaints concern add-on products.
- **Ask whether a GPS or disabling device is fitted,** and get its terms in writing.
- **Set up free payments from a bank account in MyAccount.** Card, phone and walk-in methods cost from $1.50 to $9.95.
- **Pay before 5:00 PM Pacific on a business day** when a due date is close.
- **Keep every payoff record,** and chase the title if it has not arrived.
- **Servicemembers: send your orders** to claim the SCRA rate cap and repossession protection.
- **Limit data sharing and marketing texts** with the privacy notice’s opt-outs and by replying STOP.

Our reviews of [Credit Acceptance](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-acceptance-review/) and [DriveTime](https://baronauto1.com/financing/drivetime-review/) read those companies’ own documents the same way, and the [credit score guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/credit-score-to-buy-a-car/) explains why a low score does not by itself rule out cheaper money.

## Common questions

### Is Westlake Financial legit?

Yes: it is a real company, formed in 1988, that buys and services car loans written by dealers nationwide. Its record includes a 2015 CFPB consent order over collection calls, a 2017 Justice Department settlement over repossessions from servicemembers, a 2017 Massachusetts consent order, and a 2026 class settlement over payment fees in which it denied wrongdoing. Whether a particular Westlake loan is a good deal depends on the rate, the price and the add-ons.

### Is Westlake Financial a subprime lender?

Mostly, though not only. Its dealer page offers four tiers from 750+ down to “No minimum credit score,” its about page says it handles “prime to subprime” contracts, and the CFPB described it in 2015 as specializing in “subprime and near-subprime auto loans.”

### What credit score do you need for Westlake Financial?

None, according to its dealer page: the Standard program covers scores from 0 to 599 with “No minimum credit score” and “Allows open and past bankruptcies.” That tier is capped at $25,000 and has no printed rate. The only rate on the page, “as low as 4.99%,” is for scores of 750 and up.

### Does Westlake charge a fee to make a payment?

Not if you pay from a checking or savings account through MyAccount, recurring or one-time. Card payments online, the automated phone line and a live representative cost $5.00 each, except in some states the FAQ does not name. PayNearMe costs $3.99, MoneyGram $9.95 and CheckFree from $1.50.

### How do I log in or make a Westlake payment?

Use MyAccount at myaccount.westlakefinancial.com, linked as “Sign In” and “Make A Payment” on Westlake’s home page, or call customer service at (888) 739-9192. Payments made before 5:00 PM Pacific Time post the same day; later, weekend and holiday payments post the next business day.

### Can Westlake disable my car or repossess it?

Repossession after a default is governed by your contract and state law. Whether your car can be disabled depends on whether a device was fitted when you bought it; Westlake markets devices to dealers that can “Remotely disable vehicles when delinquent” and says GPS restrictions “may vary per state.” Ask the dealer before you sign, and read our [car repossession guide](https://baronauto1.com/financing/car-repossession/) if you fall behind.

## Sources and further reading

- [CFPB consumer complaint database](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/)
- [CFPB auto loan resources](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/auto-loans/)
- [CFPB: what is the difference between dealer-arranged and bank financing?](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-the-difference-between-dealer-arranged-and-bank-financing-en-759/)
- [FTC vehicle repossession](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/vehicle-repossession)

Recall, complaint and safety-rating figures on this page were retrieved from the federal databases above on August 19, 2026. Federal data changes — re-check any VIN before you rely on it.

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*This site is under new ownership and is not affiliated with Baron Auto Emporium dealership.*

Canonical source: https://baronauto1.com/financing/westlake-financial-review/