Press Release: 11/13/2026

AG Campbell Secures More Than $11 Million In Lease Forgiveness And Restitution For Massachusetts Consumers In Multistate Settlement With Rent-To-Own Finance Company

 



Lease Forgiveness and Restitution is Part of $183.5 Million Multistate Settlement with Acima Digital; Consumers Who Are Eligible to Obtain Restitution or Lease Forgiveness Do Not Need to Take Any Action



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:



11/12/2026



 



BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, along with a coalition of 42 other attorneys general, today announced a $183.5 million multistate settlement with lease-to-own finance company Acima Digital, LLC and its direct parent company, Acima Holdings, LLC, resolving allegations that Acima deceptively advertised its rental-purchase agreements and incorrectly marked up the prices of merchandise being rented. The settlement consists of $43 million in restitution for consumers, a $10.5 million payment to the States, and lease balance reductions totaling $130 million. Massachusetts consumers will receive $830,000 in restitution, $10.7 million in forgiveness of lease-to-own accounts, and the Commonwealth will receive a $163,000 payment.  



Acima is a rent-to-own finance company that partners with retailers across the country to offer financing to consumers, including in Massachusetts, via rental-purchase agreements. The settlement resolves allegations that Acima deceptively advertised its rental-purchase agreements in a manner that misled consumers about the nature and cost of its rental-purchase agreements. The states also alleged that Acima deceptively marked up the cash price of the merchandise being rented, among other deceptive practices related to the consummation and servicing of its rental-purchase agreements, debt collection, and credit reporting practices.   



Consumers who are eligible to obtain restitution or lease forgiveness pursuant to this settlement do not need to take any action at this time. Consumers eligible to receive restitution will be contacted by the settlement administrator to file a claim. Consumers who are eligible to receive lease forgiveness will be contacted by Acima. 



“When Massachusetts consumers trust companies like Acima to provide financing options, they deserve to know that they won’t be misled about the terms of their purchase or, in some cases, deceived into paying nearly twice the retail price of the item they’re purchasing,” said AG Campbell. “At a time when many families are struggling with the high cost of living, my office will continue to put money back into consumers’ pockets and hold corporations accountable for unlawful conduct.”  



AG Campbell and the coalition alleged that Acima marketed its rental-purchase agreements as 90-day pay off programs without disclosing that consumers were automatically defaulted into the maximum 12-month term whereby consumers could pay approximately twice the cash price advertised by Acima’s retail partners. Acima also advertised its rental-purchase product using terms like “credit,” which often misled consumers into believing that they were obtaining traditional financing. Acima’s process for electronically executing rental-purchase agreements also obscured the terms of the transaction, further compounding consumer confusion. Additionally, Acima obstructed consumers’ ability to terminate their rental-purchase agreements without penalty by returning their merchandise to Acima.   



Under the settlement, Acima has agreed to terms to address these practices, including by: 




  • Conducting robust training of its retail partners;  

  • Refraining from making certain representations in its advertising unless other material information is clearly and conspicuously disclosed; 

  • Refraining from obscuring the material terms and conditions of its rental-purchase agreements during Acima’s electronic signature process; 

  • Refraining from marking up the cash price from that of Acima’s retail partners; 

  • Refraining from obstructing consumers’ ability to terminate their rental-purchase agreements by returning the merchandise to Acima; 

  • Refraining from reporting rental-purchase agreements to the big three credit reporting agencies for a period of five years; and  

  • Properly handling late deliveries, merchandise damaged at the time of delivery, and the company’s legal obligation to make repairs to merchandise during the course of the lease. 



For Massachusetts, this matter was handled by Assistant Attorney General Adelaide Pagano of the AGO’s Consumer Protection Division. 



This settlement is representative of AG Campbell’s efforts to put money back into the pockets of consumers who have experienced unfair and deceptive practices at the hands of corporations. In May, AG Campbell announced a $7.8 million settlement with Texas-based financial technology company, American First Finance (AFF) LLC, resolving allegations that the company used unfair and deceptive business practices to mislead consumers with expensive lease-to-own contracts. The settlement required AFF to pay $2 million to the Commonwealth to be returned to impacted customers as restitution and provided nearly $5.8 million in credits to existing consumer accounts.   



Joining AG Campbell in today’s settlement are the attorneys general of Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.



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