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How to Cancel or Get Out of a Sunlight Financial Solar Loan

Stuck with a Sunlight Financial solar loan you regret? Between the company's 2023 bankruptcy, a state attorney general lawsuit, and dealer fees the complaint says installers were barred from disclosing, Sunlight borrowers often have real leverage. Here is how to tell if you can cancel, dispute, or exit yours.

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Can you get out of a Sunlight Financial loan?

Often, yes — and a lender's bankruptcy does not change that. Whether you can cancel or dispute your loan turns on how it was sold and what you were told, and Sunlight's dealer-fee practices are named in a state lawsuit that alleges installers were contractually barred from even telling you the fee existed. You don't need to prove your case yourself; a free review of your documents will tell you where you stand.

Sunlight filed for bankruptcy in 2023 — but your loan almost certainly still exists and is serviced by a successor. You can't stop paying just because Sunlight restructured, but the bankruptcy doesn't erase your grounds to dispute the loan.

Who is Sunlight Financial?

Sunlight Financial was a major point-of-sale lender for residential solar, funding deals sold by third-party installers. After offering low-rate loans as interest rates climbed, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2023 and its business was restructured — which is why many borrowers have seen their servicer, statements, or payoff details change.

Why Sunlight Financial loans are under scrutiny

The most significant actions:

  • Minnesota Attorney General lawsuit (2024). Minnesota sued Sunlight Financial — alongside GoodLeap, Mosaic, and Dividend — alleging concealed dealer fees on thousands of Minnesota solar loans, in violation of state lending law.
  • Dealer fees of 20–40%. Per the complaint, the hidden dealer fee ran between 20% and 40% of the loan principal, and the lenders allegedly prohibited installers by contract from disclosing it — so homeowners paid interest on it for up to 25 years without knowing.
  • Targeting of seniors. The complaint describes dealers specifically targeting elderly homeowners on fixed incomes with a "free solar" pitch. Related suits have since followed in New York and Virginia.
  • 2023 bankruptcy. Sunlight's Chapter 11 filing left many borrowers with servicing confusion, payoff delays, and orphaned warranty claims.

These are allegations being litigated, not settled findings — but they map directly onto the grounds an individual homeowner can raise about their own loan.

Grounds to cancel or dispute a Sunlight Financial loan

Hidden dealer fees you were never allowed to see

If a dealer fee of 20–40% was baked into your financed amount — and, as the Minnesota complaint alleges, your installer was barred from disclosing it — that can strongly support a claim that the loan's true cost was misrepresented.

Misrepresentation at the point of sale

"Free" panels, guaranteed savings, a disappearing bill, a "government program" — if the pitch didn't match your contract, a loan induced by false promises can be challenged.

High-pressure or elder-targeted sales

Where a senior or vulnerable homeowner was pressured into signing, state elder-financial-abuse protections may apply on top of ordinary consumer-fraud claims.

Truth in Lending Act (TILA) violations

When fees are buried, the APR understated, or the amount financed misstated, that can be a TILA violation — which in some cases extends your right to rescind well beyond the standard window.

The 3-day right to cancel

If your loan was signed at your home, the FTC's Cooling-Off Rule generally gave you until midnight of the third business day to cancel, and many states add their own protections.

A system that never worked — or an installer that vanished

If your system underperformed, was never activated, or your installer closed while the loan kept billing, that gap can support a breach or dispute claim.

How to get out of your Sunlight Financial loan

1

Gather your Sunlight documents

Your loan agreement, the Truth in Lending disclosure, the sales contract, and any fee breakdown — plus recent statements, since your servicer likely changed after the bankruptcy.

2

Identify your grounds

Match your situation to the grounds above — hidden fees, misrepresentation, elder-targeting, a broken system. A free review confirms which are strongest.

3

Dispute in writing

Raise it with your current servicer and, where warranted, file complaints with the CFPB and your state attorney general.

4

Escalate if needed

Depending on your facts, the path may be negotiation, a referral to an attorney handling solar-loan cases, or evaluating whether you fit existing litigation.

Sunlight Financial solar loan FAQ

Can I cancel my Sunlight Financial solar loan?

Possibly. If your loan was sold at your home you may have had a 3-day right to cancel, and beyond that, grounds like undisclosed dealer fees, misrepresentation, or Truth in Lending Act violations can support cancelling or disputing the loan long after signing. Sunlight's dealer-fee practices are named in a state attorney general lawsuit, which is the kind of issue that gives a borrower leverage. Whether it applies to your loan depends on your documents.

Sunlight Financial went bankrupt — do I still have to pay?

In most cases the loan itself survives a lender's bankruptcy and is serviced by a successor, so you can't simply stop paying because Sunlight filed Chapter 11 in 2023. But the bankruptcy does not erase the grounds you may have on the original loan — undisclosed fees, misrepresentation, or a nonworking system are still disputable. It also means your servicer and payoff contact may have changed, so keep every document.

Is there a Sunlight Financial lawsuit?

Yes. In 2024 the Minnesota Attorney General sued Sunlight Financial — alongside GoodLeap, Mosaic, and Dividend — alleging concealed dealer fees on thousands of solar loans. Other states, including New York and Virginia, have brought related actions against solar companies and their lending partners. Whether you qualify for any claim is a question for a licensed attorney.

Does Sunlight Financial charge dealer fees?

Yes. According to the Minnesota Attorney General, the hidden dealer fee ran between 20% and 40% of the loan principal, and the complaint alleges the lenders contractually prohibited installers from disclosing that fee to customers — so most borrowers never knew they were paying interest on it for up to 25 years. Undisclosed dealer fees are a strong basis for disputing a solar loan.

Sunlight's dealer targeted my elderly parent — what can we do?

You may have strong grounds. The Minnesota complaint describes dealers specifically targeting elderly homeowners on fixed incomes with a 'free solar' pitch. High-pressure sales aimed at seniors can also trigger state elder-financial-abuse protections on top of ordinary consumer-fraud claims. This is worth reviewing quickly.

My installer went bankrupt or my system doesn't work — do I still owe Sunlight?

You are not necessarily on the hook for a system that was never delivered as promised. Many Sunlight borrowers are left paying while the installer that sold the deal has closed and the system underperforms or was never activated. That gap between what was promised and delivered can support a breach or dispute claim against the financing.

How do I dispute Sunlight Financial or fix a wrong payoff?

Gather your loan agreement and fee disclosures, then dispute in writing — to your current servicer and, where warranted, to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and your state attorney general. After a bankruptcy and servicing transfer, payoff confusion is common, so a written paper trail matters. A free review can tell you the strongest path.

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Sources & further reading:Minnesota Attorney General, "Attorney General Ellison sues solar lenders over $35M in deceptive hidden fees" (ag.state.mn.us); pv magazine USA, "Minnesota sues GoodLeap, Sunlight, Mosaic and Dividend over dealer fees" (pv-magazine-usa.com). Allegations described here are drawn from these public filings and reports and have not been proven in court.