Los Angeles, CA, Sept. 14, 2026 <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com" target="_blank">(GLOBE NEWSWIRE)</a> -- Recent lender data highlights how nontraditional income is being assessed in vehicle-secured lending as independent work remains a significant part of the U.S. workforce. <a href="https://montanacapital.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="">Montana Capital</a> Car Title Loans says that self-employed, gig, and independent workers accounted for around 17% of its funded borrowers between June 2025 and June 2026, highlighting the role nontraditional income plays in vehicle-secured lending. Based on the lender’s funded loan data, approximately 74% of borrowers were W-2 employees, while 17% were self-employed, gig workers, independent contractors or 1099 workers. A further 7% were retired or receiving fixed income, while around 2% were unemployed but had other qualifying income sources. The figures are estimates because some borrowers report more than one source of income. The finding closely matches earlier research cited by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In its rulemaking on payday and vehicle title lending, the CFPB referenced studies finding that 16% of title-loan borrowers were self-employed in one survey and around 20% in another [1]. The wider U.S. labor market also shows that alternative working arrangements are far from marginal. Bureau of Labor Statistics data for July 2023 found that 11.9 million people worked as independent contractors in their sole or main job, representing 7.4% of total employment. That was up from 6.9% when the same survey was last conducted in 2017 [2]. “Self-employed and gig workers are not necessarily harder to assess because they earn less. The challenge is often that their income does not arrive in the same format as a traditional paycheck,” said Shir Amram, Chief Operating Officer at Montana Capital Car Title Loans®. “Someone may be earning consistently through contract work, freelance projects, or self-employment, but their income can move from month to month. That means lenders need to look at the underlying pattern rather than expecting every borrower to produce the same documents.” Traditional underwriting often starts with familiar evidence such as W-2 income, employer records, and regular pay stubs. Self-employed and gig workers may instead rely on bank statements, tax returns, 1099 forms, contracts, or other records that show how their income is generated over time. Vehicle-secured lending still requires borrowers to demonstrate their ability to repay. The vehicle’s market value can form part of the assessment, but it does not replace income verification. For Montana Capital, the distinction is between irregular income and unreliable income. A borrower whose monthly earnings fluctuate may still be able to demonstrate a consistent pattern over time, even if the documentation looks different from that of a salaried employee. BLS data also illustrates how varied nontraditional work has become. Alongside independent contractors, 1.7% of employed people were on-call workers in July 2023, while temporary help agency workers and workers provided by contract firms made up smaller but still meaningful parts of the labor market [2]. The lender’s 17% figure, therefore, sits within a broader U.S. workforce where many people earn income outside a conventional salaried structure. “A car does not replace the need to show that a loan is affordable. We still need to verify income and assess ability to repay,” Amram said. “What changes with a self-employed borrower is often the documentation, not the underlying question.” “Bank statements, tax records, and other evidence can help show whether income is consistent enough to support repayment, even when it does not arrive as a standard paycheck.” For the lending industry, this raises a practical underwriting question: how should lenders assess borrowers whose income is real and recurring, but less predictable in timing or format? Montana Capital’s position is that nontraditional income should be assessed on its underlying consistency rather than automatically treated as weaker simply because it falls outside the W-2 model. The company also cautions against interpreting its data as evidence that gig or self-employed workers are more likely to seek title loans than other groups. The figures describe funded borrowers only and do not measure changes in demand over time. Learn more at: <a href="http://montanacapital.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="">montanacapital.com</a> About Montana Capital Car Title Loans® <a href="https://montanacapital.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="">Montana Capital</a> Car Title Loans® is a Los Angeles-based direct lender specializing in vehicle-secured title loans. The company provides an online application process and assesses each borrower based on their vehicle, income, and ability to repay, including applicants who may receive income outside a traditional W-2 employment arrangement. Media Contact Montana Capital Car Title Loans Website : <a href="https://montanacapital.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="">https://montanacapital.com/</a>  <a href="mailto:support@montanacapital.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="">support@montanacapital.com</a>  Resources <ul><li style="margin-top:12pt;">Consumer Financial Protection Bureau / Federal Register – Payday, Vehicle Title, and Certain High-Cost Installment Loans <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/11/17/2017-21808/payday-vehicle-title-and-certain-high-cost-installment-loans" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="">https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/11/17/2017-21808/payday-vehicle-title-and-certain-high-cost-installment-loans</a></li><li style="margin-bottom:12pt;">U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics – Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements, July 2023  <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/conemp.nr0.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="">https://www.bls.gov/news.release/conemp.nr0.htm</a> Information contained on this page is published by <a href="https://sptechsol.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="">SP Tech Solutions</a> and content provided by authorized third party content provider.  SP Tech Solutions and this Site make no warranties or representations in connection therewith. </li></ul> <pre>CONTACT: Montana Capital Car Title Loans
Website : https://montanacapital.com/
 support@montanacapital.com</pre> <img alt="" src='https://ml.globenewswire.com/media/NTlkZDM0OTMtYThmOS00MTk4LTg1MTItZjU3MjBlZGI0NTMxLTUwMDE2NzgzNi0yMDI2LTA5LTE0LWVu/tiny/Montana-Capital.png' referrerpolicy='no-referrer-when-downgrade' />

Montana Capital Data Shows Self-Employed and Gig Workers Make Up 17% of Funded Borrowers

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