Internal review describes how applicants cited electric bills during summer cooling periods while identifying data gaps and unsupported claims
BOULDER, Colorado — September 23, 2026 — 1F Cash Advance today published the scope and limitations of an internal review of Florida applications in which electric bills were identified as a reason for seeking financing.
Scope and methodology
The company examined its own application records and categorized applicants’ stated reasons for seeking funds. The review was observational, was not independently audited and cannot establish that utility costs caused any application. No applicant-level information is being released.
The findings should not be treated as representative of Florida households or borrowers generally because the records cover only people who applied through 1F Cash Advance. The company has not published the review period, application totals, comparison-period figures or statistical testing. As a result, the review does not support a statewide estimate or growth rate.
“Company application records cannot substitute for statewide household or utility data,” said Latoria Williams, founder and CEO of 1F Cash Advance. “We are publishing these limitations so readers can distinguish what the records show from what they cannot establish.”
No independent third-party statement is included because the company did not obtain one for publication.
Claims excluded from the findings
Earlier company materials cited several claims without sufficient source documentation. Those claims are reproduced below solely to identify what the review does not verify:
- “nearly one in five now shut off their air conditioning overnight”
- “close to $21 billion added to Florida electric bills over the next ten years”
- “Tampa Electric bills have climbed 86% since December 2020”
The third statement appears to contain an incomplete reference to Tampa Electric. The company is not correcting or endorsing that quotation because it lacks the underlying source analysis.
The survey publisher, sample size, field dates, questionnaire and methodology were not supplied for the first claim. The model, assumptions and source methodology were not supplied for the second. No primary rate analysis or direct source was supplied for the third. Accordingly, none of these statements is presented as a verified finding.
A separate statistic concerning payday loans was previously attributed per the Center for Responsible Lending, but the specific publication and page were not identified. It has therefore been omitted from the findings pending source verification.
Consumer-assistance context
Some applicants reported adjusting thermostats, limiting cooling to occupied rooms, sealing air leaks, contacting utilities about payment arrangements or checking eligibility for LIHEAP or county assistance. These are self-reported actions, not independently confirmed outcomes.
Consumers facing a utility-payment deadline may wish to contact their utility and local assistance agencies. Financing may add fees and repayment obligations to an existing budget shortfall.
Earlier references to same-day funding, payday loans and an installment loan described financing categories or processing practices. They are not findings of this analysis, guarantees or recommendations. Product amounts, pricing, fees and processing cutoffs are excluded from this release.
Future reporting standards
1F Cash Advance plans to strengthen future reporting by providing:
- The period covered and anonymized aggregate totals
- Clear category definitions and coding procedures
- Comparison methods and appropriate statistical context
- Direct links to primary sources for external claims
- Survey sponsors, sample sizes, field dates and questionnaires
- Assumptions and methodology for projections
- Independent review or third-party context when available
Until those elements are available, the company will not use this application review to make broader claims about Florida households, utility rates or statewide financial conditions.
About 1F Cash Advance
1F Cash Advance is a financial services company founded in Boulder, Colorado, in 2019. It provides online, telephone and in-person application options. Eligibility and financing decisions depend on income, repayment capacity, lender requirements and applicable disclosures.
Media Contact
Latoria Williams, founder and CEO
1F Cash Advance
info@1firstcashadvance.org
https://1firstcashadvance.org/