* Acom warns of Y203 bln net loss, vs consensus Y165 bln loss
* Promise sees Y96 bln net loss, Aiful estimates Y32 bln loss
* Japan consumer lenders hit hard by interest repayment claims
* Acom, Aiful also set aside loan-loss reserves after quake (Adds Promise, Aiful forecasts)
TOKYO, April 28 (Reuters) - Japanese consumer lenders Acom , Promise and Aiful forecast combined losses of about $4 billion on Thursday for the year ended March 31, walloped by mounting claims for reimbursement of overcharged interest.
Acom and Aiful also said they were forced to set aside reserves to cover bad loans related to last month's massive earthquake, while Promise booked a 41.4 billion yen ($503 million) charge to write down goodwill related to its purchase of money lender Sanyo Shinpan in 2007.
Japan's consumer lenders are struggling to survive after a regulatory crackdown in 2006 that cut the maximum interest rate they can charge and a court ruling paving the way for borrowers to seek reimbursement of past interest payments above the new limits.
The industry, which offers unsecured loans to individuals and owners of small businesses, has also been hit by additional rules introduced last year including one that restricts the amount an individual can borrow to one-third of their annual income.
Acom, which is more than a third owned by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group , said it now estimates a net loss of 202.6 billion yen ($2.5 billion) for the financial year just ended, four times larger than its previous outlook for a 50.9 billion yen loss.
Acom's new estimate compares with an average forecast of a 164.8 billion yen net loss in a poll of six analysts by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Promise estimated a 96 billion yen net loss for the year ended March 31, compared with the average forecast of five analysts for a 99.7 billion yen loss. Aiful sees a 32 billion yen net loss, triple the average estimate from two analysts of a 10 billion yen loss.
Promise and Aiful had previously not issued full-year earnings outlooks.
Before the news on Thursday, shares of Acom ended down 0.3 percent and Aiful lost 2.1 percent, while Promise jumped 3.6 percent. The benchmark Nikkei average rose 1.6 percent. ($1 = 82.220 Japanese Yen) (Reporting by Chris Gallagher; Editing by Nathan Layne)