ALBANY - Nine companies that specialize in providing cash advances to personal injury plaintiffs have agreed to reform their practices.

The companies specialize in giving cash advances, usually between $1,000 to $7,000, to clients with pending personal injury claims or lawsuits. The clients are often jobless and unable to secure bank loans for living expenses while their litigation take a year or more to settle.

In exchange, the companies obtain the right to receive a percentage of the claim proceeds, an amount that is usually greater than the advance. Since the advance is not considered a loan under state law, consumers pay nothing if they get no cash award from the courts or in a settlement with an insurance company or other defendant.

New York officials had raised concerns that some cash advance arrangements were confusing to consumers.