|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Top 5 Peer-to-Peer Lending SitesOne new and growing source of microloans (those under $35,000 to $50,000) is peer-to-peer lending networks. Peer-to-peer lending, also sometimes called social lending, providers make direct loans between consumers and investors possible. There is no third party intermediary like at a bank where the bank takes deposits then lends those deposits out as loans. These entities connect those who have money to invest with those who need money. These official networks and companies did not exist ten years ago. Social lending is another example of how people and companies continue to engineer creative legitimate solutions to business financing needs. Prosper.com (www.prosper.com) – Prosper is the industry juggernaut and lends to individuals and small businesses that typically have credit scores between 620 – 699. This company was founded in February 2006 and essentially hailed the advent of peer-to-peer lending. As of spring 2011 the company had funded ~$219 million in loans. Prosper now sets the interest rates for loans. Previously potential investors bid on the rates. Prosper operates in most, but not all, states. Check the company’s website for details. Lending Club (www.lendingclub.com) – Lending Club is the second largest peer-to-peer lending site by volume in the United States, behind Prosper. However, Lending Club is the largest in terms of loans funded. The company was founded in 2008. Lending Club sets the interest rate for all the loans and has done so since inception. The company’s tag line is “Investors earn better returns, borrowers pay lower rates.” As of February 2011, Lending Club had funded ~$226 million in loans. Loanio (www.loanio.com) – Loanio
is a little different from Prosper and Lending Club. According to Loanio’s
website,”all loans are originated by Loanio and then sold to website lenders
who are legally considered the loan purchasers”. Essentially Loanio originates
and makes the loan to the loan seeker, then sells that loan to small individual
investors through its website. Hence,
Loanio does act as an intermediary. Unlike a bank, it does not hold loans for
long before selling them to the individual investors. Some early entrants into the peer-to-peer lending space such as Zopa, Virgin Money, and Fynanz no longer operate in the U.S. market although they do still exist as companies. Zopa and Virgin Money still lend in the United Kingdom (U.K.) and other countries but no longer lend in the US. Fynanz completely revamped its business plan and now solely provides student loan assistance through credit unions and similar entities. About the Author: Tiffany C. Wright is President of Toca Family Business Services, a strategic advisory firm that provides interim CEO, COO and CFO services. She is the author of Solving the Financial Equation: Financing Solutions for Small Businesses, available at Amazon.com, and HELP! I Need Money for My Business Now!, available at http://www.financeyourcompany.com. In the last five years she has helped companies raise over $31 million in funding. For more regular insights on business financing and management Article Tags: Peer-to-peer Lending, Lending Club Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Partners
|
