HARTFORD, Conn. — Rent-to-own finance company Acima Digital has agreed to a $183.5 million settlement with 43 states, including Connecticut and the rest of New England, resolving allegations that it misled customers about its agreements and deceptively marked up prices, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said Thursday.

The settlement with Acima Digital LLC and its parent company, Acima Holdings LLC, includes $43 million in restitution to customers, $130 million in reductions to lease balances and a $10.5 million payment to the states, according to Tong's office. Connecticut customers will receive $2,441,257 in lease forgiveness, and the state will receive $246,090.70.

Eligible customers do not need to take any action, the attorney general's office said. Those owed restitution will be contacted by the settlement administrator, Rust Consulting, and those eligible for lease forgiveness will be contacted by Acima.

Acima works with retailers to offer financing through rental-purchase agreements. The states alleged that the company marketed the agreements as 90-day payoff programs without disclosing that customers were automatically placed into the maximum 12-month term, under which they could pay about twice the cash price advertised by the retailer. The states also alleged that Acima used terms such as "credit" that led customers to believe they were getting traditional financing, that its electronic signing process obscured the terms, and that it made it hard for customers to end agreements without penalty by returning the merchandise.

"Acima lured and locked consumers into overpriced rent-to-own deals by obscuring key information, including the length of these agreements, the total cost, and options for termination," Tong said.

Under the settlement, Acima agreed to stop marking up retailers' cash prices, to stop obscuring contract terms during electronic signing, to stop obstructing customers who want to end agreements by returning merchandise, and to train its retail partners. It also agreed not to report rental-purchase agreements to the three major credit reporting agencies for five years, the attorney general's office said.

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