finance company

American  

noun

1. an institution engaged in such specialized forms of financing as purchasing accounts receivable, extending credit to retailers and manufacturers, discounting installment contracts, and granting loans with goods as security.

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finance company British  

noun

1. an enterprise engaged in the loan of money against collateral or speculatively to manufacturers and retailers, esp one specializing in the financing of hire-purchase contracts

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Etymology

Origin of finance company

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Profit edged higher as strong revenue growth was partially offset by a write-off linked to the collapse of a U.K. mortgage finance company.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

While the bank didn’t name the borrower, it was a lender to now-bankrupt subprime auto finance company Tricolor, which had announced at least one warehouse loan with Fifth Third in recent years.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 17, 2025

Tillman: One of the jobs I had, I was an assistant to the vice president of accounting and controls for a finance company, a world I knew nothing about.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 21, 2025

He said it was "almost laughable" that they were being "bundled" into a finance agreement and approved by a finance company.

From BBC • Jul. 3, 2025

They passed a drugstore and a finance company and three banks.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt