# Fact-Check Policy & Process | SB Loan > Learn how SB Loan verifies every statistic, law reference, and regulatory detail through triple-phase review, credentialed specialists, and yearly re-verification — ongoing after launch. Источник: https://sbloan.net/fact-checking-policy/ --- # Fact-Checking Protocol Each statistic, legal citation, and agency pronouncement that appears on this site passes through a three-step verification process — validated prior to going live and tracked on an ongoing basis thereafter. RO **Last updated: May 24, 2026** · Reviewed by: [Roman Okafor, JD](/authors/roman-okafor/) **On this page** Does "Fact-Checked" Just Mean Someone Glanced at a Website? Is Everything Checked Just Once and Forgotten? What Happens When Sources Disagree? Can Readers Really Get a Response in 48 Hours? How Does the Three-Phase Review Actually Work? FAQ: What Borrowers Actually Ask Every rate, fee, and legal detail you read on SB Loan has been verified twice against original documents before publication—and then checked again on a fixed schedule. This page explains exactly how that process works, what "verified" actually means, and why we built our system around the misunderstandings we see most often. ### What "Verified" Means Here - Every figure is double-checked against original documents by a second reviewer before publication - Most pages are reverified every 6 months; Learn library content and city pages run on a 12-month cycle - Tier-1 sources—primary government datasets, peer-reviewed studies, official regulatory filings—anchor every claim we can place them under - Reader-submitted error reports trigger retrieval of the original source within 48 hours - When two independent Tier-1 sources conflict, we surface that disagreement rather than picking a winner - Our fact-checkers clear four barriers before touching any published page, including credential verification and a signed ethics contract ## Does "Fact-Checked" Just Mean Someone Glanced at a Website? No. At SB Loan, a fact-checker retrieves the original document—state statute PDF, Federal Register entry, peer-reviewed study, or regulatory filing—and confirms the exact figure, citation, or legal interpretation before any number appears on our site. A second reviewer then repeats this process independently. Only after both reviewers agree does the content go live. This matters because rounded figures like "approximately 12 million Americans" often signal estimation rather than enumeration. When we encounter such approximations, we attempt to corroborate with a second Tier-1 source. If we cannot confirm the figure through primary documentation, we either downgrade the claim's certainty or remove it entirely. Our [source tier system](/editorial-policy/#sources) defines what counts as authoritative: Tier-1 sources are primary documents; Tier-2 includes established research organizations; Tier-3 and Tier-4 sources (news articles, industry blogs) trigger an automatic upgrade attempt before publication. ## Is Everything Checked Just Once and Forgotten? No. Static content degrades. A 2022 state report on predatory lending statistics gets superseded by 2023 enforcement data, and the old URL now redirects to an unrelated press release. We run on two tracks to catch this: - **6-month cycle:** General pages outside of specific legislative triggers - **12-month cycle:** Learn library materials and city pages without recent ordinance changes These cycles run regardless of whether anyone has complained. Additionally, we trigger immediate reverification when laws change, and within 48 hours if a reader flags a potential error. ## What Happens When Sources Disagree? We present the conflict transparently. When two independent Tier-1 sources—each authoritative in its own right—present conflicting data, we surface that disagreement rather than suppressing the inconvenient figure. You deserve to know when the data itself is contested, not just the interpretation. This approach reflects a core principle: our role is to illuminate complexity, not to manufacture false certainty. Borrowing decisions are hard enough without hidden uncertainties. ## Can Readers Really Get a Response in 48 Hours? Yes. When you flag a fact—any concern about accuracy—an internal fact-checker retrieves the original source within 48 hours to verify the claim. This is not a customer service ticket routed to a general inbox. It goes directly to our fact-checking team, who follow the same four-barrier process used for original publication: 1. **Credential verification:** Demonstrated expertise in consumer finance or regulatory research 2. **Editorial integrity agreement:** A signed ethics contract confirming independence from lenders and affiliates 3. **Source isolation:** No contact with commercial partners during verification 4. **Documentation requirement:** Written record of every source consulted If we confirm an error, we publish a correction and [maintain a public log](/corrections/) of what changed and why. ## How Does the Three-Phase Review Actually Work? Our triple-phase process breaks verification into discrete, auditable steps: **Step 1: Claim extraction.** The fact-checker isolates every numerical assertion, legal reference, and regulatory detail in the draft. **Step 2: Primary-source verification.** Each extracted claim is matched to its original document—statute, filing, dataset, or study. **Step 3: Reviewer cross-check.** A second reviewer randomly spot-checks 20% of the fact-checker's verifications and provides a written sign-off. This spot-check rate means significant claims receive multiple independent confirmations over time. ## FAQ: What Borrowers Actually Ask How do I know your "independent" reviewers aren't just saying that? If you find evidence contradicting our independence claims, submit a reader report and we'll investigate within 48 hours. Our ethics contracts and credential verification records are auditable, and we have no financial relationship with any lender that would create pressure to alter figures. What if I find a number that seems wrong but I'm not sure? Report it anyway. Our 48-hour retrieval commitment applies to any flagged concern, not just confirmed errors. We'd rather retrieve a source unnecessarily than miss a genuine problem. Why do some pages say "last verified 6 months ago" and others "12 months"? Content types carry different risk profiles. General educational pages about how payday loans work change slowly, so they run on 6-month cycles. City-specific pages and deep-dive Learn articles, which depend on local ordinances and evolving enforcement patterns, run on 12-month cycles unless triggered earlier by legislative changes. Do you ever use estimates or projections? Rarely, and only when clearly labeled. When we encounter rounded figures like "approximately 12 million Americans," we attempt to upgrade to enumerated data from Tier-1 sources. If we cannot, we flag the estimate's source and uncertainty explicitly. What happens to my report after I submit it? A fact-checker retrieves the original source, compares it to our published claim, and documents the result. If verified, we note the confirmation. If corrected, we update the page and log the change. You receive a direct response within 48 hours either way. #### Our content guidelines Key documents about our editorial approach. [Editorial policy →](/editorial-policy/) [Corrections log →](/corrections/) [Ownership disclosure →](/ownership-disclosure/) [Privacy policy →](/privacy/) [Terms of service →](/terms/) --- #### About our writers [All 6 authors & reviewers →](/authors/)