Terms of Use

1. Ownership & Intellectual Property

The Loan Clarity Borrower Sentiment Index™ — including its name, methodology, signal weights, normalization algorithm, scoring formulas, historical data series, software code, documentation, branding, and the composite score itself (collectively, the "Index") — is the exclusive property of Loan Clarity and is protected by U.S. and international copyright, trademark, and trade secret law.

"Borrower Sentiment Index" and "Loan Clarity" are trademarks of Loan Clarity. Use of these marks is reserved.

2. Permitted Use

You may, free of charge:

• View the dashboard at studentloansindex.com for personal, non-commercial reference.
• Embed the official widget on a public-facing site, provided the attribution link to studentloansindex.com remains intact and unmodified.
• Cite the Index in editorial, academic, or research contexts with proper attribution, e.g. "Loan Clarity Borrower Sentiment Index, [date], studentloansindex.com."

3. Prohibited Use

Without express written authorization from Loan Clarity, you may NOT:

• Scrape, mirror, cache, or systematically extract Index values, signal data, or historical series.
• Resell, sublicense, or redistribute the Index data — in any form, modified or not.
• Use the Index, in whole or in part, to train, fine-tune, or benchmark any machine learning model, AI system, or derivative dataset without a separate license.
• Reverse-engineer, attempt to derive, or recreate the Index's methodology, signal weights, or normalization algorithm.
• Remove, alter, or obscure Loan Clarity branding, attribution, or trademark marks from any embed, citation, or display.
• Misrepresent yourself, your employer, or your intended use case in an access application.
• Use the Index in any product or service that competes with Loan Clarity, including any borrower-sentiment or alternative-credit-data offering.

4. API Access

API access is granted on a case-by-case basis after individual review of each application. Issued API keys are non-transferable, tied to the named individual and employing organization, and may be revoked at any time, with or without cause, at Loan Clarity's sole discretion.

All API usage is logged. Sharing API keys, exceeding tier rate limits, or using the API in violation of these Terms is grounds for immediate termination of access.

5. Data Accuracy & "Not Financial Advice"

The Index is an analytical signal derived from public and proprietary data sources. It is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute investment, financial, legal, tax, or other professional advice.

Loan Clarity makes no warranty, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the Index. Users are responsible for independently verifying any data point before relying on it for material decisions. Loan Clarity expressly disclaims liability for any losses, damages, or claims arising from use of, or reliance upon, the Index.

6. Confidential Methodology

The specific signal weights, the proprietary normalization layer, source-level API configurations, prompt engineering for AI sentiment classification, and the full methodology specification are confidential trade secrets. They are disclosed solely to institutional licensing partners under a separate Non-Disclosure Agreement.

7. Widget Embedding

The official iframe widget is provided free for public embedding under the following conditions:

• The iframe must load from studentloansindex.com — self-hosting copies is not permitted.
• The "Loan Clarity" branding, click-through link, and all attribution must remain visible and unmodified.
• The widget may not be used in any context that defames, disparages, or misrepresents Loan Clarity or the Index.
• Loan Clarity reserves the right to revoke embed access from any site at any time.

8. Audit & Watermarking

Loan Clarity may include cryptographic watermarks, deterministic offsets, or other technical markers in API responses and embed payloads for the purpose of identifying unauthorized redistribution. Discovery of such markers in a third-party product constitutes prima facie evidence of breach of these Terms.

9. Termination

Loan Clarity may suspend or terminate access — API, embed, or otherwise — at any time, for any reason, with or without notice. Sections 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, and 11 survive termination.

10. Changes to These Terms

Loan Clarity may modify these Terms at any time. Material changes will be reflected in the "Last updated" date above. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.

11. Governing Law & Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of New York, without regard to its conflict-of-laws provisions. Any dispute arising from or relating to these Terms or the Index shall be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in New York County, New York, and you irrevocably consent to such jurisdiction.

12. Contact

For licensing inquiries, NDA requests, takedown notices, or questions about these Terms: zeroloan000@gmail.com