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Anna Serio is a staff writer untangling everything you need to know about personal loans, including student, car and business loans. She spent five years living in Beirut, where she was a news editor for The Daily Star and hung out with a lot of cats. She loves to eat, travel and save money.
Expert Review
Review by
Anna Serio
LendingClub personal loans are ideal if you have good credit and want to check your rate before submitting a full application — you can prequalify by filling out a quick online form without affecting your credit score. Its loans are available to residents of all states except Iowa and West Virginia. And you can apply with a cosigner to increase your chances of approval.
But you can only borrow up to $40,000 — on the low end compared to other lenders — and it charges an origination fee of up to 6%. It’s also not the fastest lender out there: You’ll have to wait at least three days to get your funds.
LendingClub personal loans are ideal if you have good credit and want to check your rate before submitting a full application — you can prequalify by filling out a quick online form without affecting your credit score. Its loans are available to residents of all states except Iowa and West Virginia. And you can apply with a cosigner to increase your chances of approval.
But you can only borrow up to $40,000 — on the low end compared to other lenders — and it charges an origination fee of up to 6%. It’s also not the fastest lender out there: You’ll have to wait at least three days to get your funds.
Previous FTC complaint and scandal with former CEO
Compare other personal loan providers
Updated January 27th, 2020
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Must read: Was LendingClub involved in a scam?
Not exactly, but LendingClub hasn’t always followed the rules. There have been two major controversies surrounding LendingClub in the past few years.
FTC complaint In April 2018, the FTC filed a complaint against LendingClub over its “no hidden fee” promise, claiming that it had charged hidden upfront fees on several of its loans. LendingClub responded by pointing out that it clearly states that its loans come with origination fees multiple times, several places on its website and when borrowers apply for a loan.
CEO resignation In March and April of 2016, LendingClub’s founder and former CEO Renaud Laplanche stepped down after internal reports found that there had been about $22 million in loans sold to a single investor and failure to disclose possible conflicts of interest. Although this had a major impact on LendingClub’s credibility, the company itself took appropriate measures to prevent fraud and account for false revenue. Because LendingClub resolved the issue internally and continues to work at increasing the transparency of its policies, this was not a scam. Rather, it was a problem with a single individual that the company handled quickly.
What do customers have to say about LendingClub?
BBB accredited
Yes
BBB rating
Not rated
BBB customer reviews
2 out of 5 stars, based on 150 customer reviews
Trustpilot score
4.8 out of 5, based on 626 customer reviews
Customer reviews verified as of
11 December 2019
Several borrowers complained about a complicated application process, managing their loan online and high interest rates. A few were also disappointed that they’d gotten a preapproval letter in the mail but were ultimately rejected. However, positive reviews on TrustPilot compliment the streamlined process and fair rates.
How do I apply?
You can begin the application process by clicking the green Go to Lending Club’s website button on this page.
Enter your loan amount, loan purpose and your estimated credit score. Then select if you’re applying as an individual or with a cosigner.
Fill out the required fields with information about yourself, your employment and your income.
Create an account and read the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, E-Consent form, and Credit Profile Authorization before clicking Get Your Rate.
What information do I need to apply?
You will need to provide some basic information when you apply:
Estimated credit score
Annual income
Social Security number
Step-by-step application process with screenshots
What happens after I apply?
If you’re preapproved, LendingClub will give you multiple loan offers. Select the offer that best fits your needs to apply, following the directions to fill out the rest of your application and submit any required documents. At this point, LendingClub will do a hard credit inquiry that will cause your credit score to drop a few points.
Once you receive your finalized loan terms, you’ll typically receive your loan funds directly into your account within four business days. Overall, the application process can take a week from start to finish.
I got a preapproval letter from LendingClub. What does it mean?
It’s not uncommon for lenders to send out promotional letters to borrowers who might qualify for a loan. These include potential rates and terms based on a soft credit pull that has no effect on your credit score. You might have gotten a letter from LendingClub that looks like this:
While it’s likely legit, there are also preapproval scams out there. Before you hand over your personal information, reach out to LendingClub to make sure it’s real.
How do repayments work with LendingClub?
LendingClub offers automatic prepayments on a fixed monthly schedule, but be cautious: If you don’t have enough in your account on your due date, LendingClub will charge a $15 nonsufficient (NSF) funds fee on top of the overdraft fee your bank might charge. And while you can pay by check, there is an additional fee of $7 per payment. If you would like to pay via your bank account, but not automatically, you can do so at no extra charge.
You have a 15-day grace period if you need to get your payment in a little late, but LendingClub encourages you to call or email as soon as you know you’re going to have trouble making a payment. If you don’t complete a payment within the 15-day grace period, you could be hit with a fee of 5% of the unpaid installment or $15, whichever is greater.
Yes, you can be both a borrower and an investor with LendingClub. To do so, you’ll need to make two separate accounts and keep a careful eye over your loans.
Yes. LendingClub has a safe website that guards your personal and financial information related to your loan. It’s also FDIC insured, registered with the SEC and has a standard SSL encryption to keep your information safe. You can also view LendingClub’s Privacy Policy on its website to learn how your information is used and shared with other businesses.
Unlike broker services, LendingClub doesn’t make money by selling your information. Instead, it makes money through its loan interest charges and origination fees.
No. A personal loan from LendingClub can’t be used for any secondary education expenses, including college. If you need a private student loan, consider these options instead.
Yes. You can either change the date for your next payment or permanently move your monthly payment to a different day.
If you only want to change the due date for your next payment, you can log into your account and set your payment for up to 15 days after your original due date. You can also permanently change your due date by visiting the Payment Due Date section and choosing a new monthly due date.
Disclaimer
All loans made by WebBank, Member FDIC. Your actual rate depends upon credit score, loan amount, loan term, and credit usage & history. The APR ranges from 6.95% to 35.89%*. The origination fee ranges from 1% to 6% of the original principal balance and is deducted from your loan proceeds. For example, you could receive a loan of $6,000 with an interest rate of 7.99% and a 5.00% origination fee of $300 for an APR of 11.51%. In this example, you will receive $5,700 and will make 36 monthly payments of $187.99. The total amount repayable will be $6,767.64. Your APR will be determined based on your credit at the time of application. The average origination fee is 5.49% as of Q1 2017. In Georgia, the minimum loan amount is $3,025. In Massachusetts, the minimum loan amount is $6,025 if your APR is greater than 12%. There is no down payment and there is never a prepayment penalty. Closing of your loan is contingent upon your agreement of all the required agreements and disclosures on the www.lendingclub.com website. All loans via LendingClub have a minimum repayment term of 36 months. Borrower must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or be in the United States on a valid long term visa and at least 18 years old. Valid bank account and Social Security number are required. Equal Housing Lender. All loans are subject to credit approval. LendingClub’s physical address is: LendingClub, 71 Stevenson Street, Suite 1000, San Francisco, CA 94105.
† Per reviews collected and authenticated by Bazaarvoice in compliance with the Bazaarvoice Authentication Requirements, supported by anti-fraud technology and human analysis. All reviews can be reviewed at reviews.lendingclub.com.
Funding time is based on approximately 60% of borrowers who received offers through LendingClub’s marketing partners between January 1, 2018 to July 20,2018. The time it will take to fund your loan may vary.
Personal loan ratings
★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Subpar
★★★★★ — Poor
We analyze top personal loan providers and rate them one to five stars based on factors that are most important to you. These factors include: rates and fees, customer reviews, loan amounts, loan processing and borrower experience.
If you want to refinance your current loan with LendingClub, you may need to reach them directly so they can let you know if you’re eligible to refinance. They’ll also update your income details.
Should you wish to have real-time answers to your questions, try our chat box on the lower right corner of our page.
Hi, there! As I’m a nonresident student, by the way, I’m living outside of US, after all I don’t work right now, for I don’t find job. can I find loans or grants to come study abroad and pay after? I’m looking forward to hearing you,soon. thanks!
The first thing you need to do is find the school you want to enroll in. After that, you can then ask the school whether they know any student loan or financial institution that can help with your situation.
Moreover, it is worth noting that if you are going to apply for a student loan and you are a non-US resident, generally, a co-signer is required for most international student loan programs.
I hope this helps. Should you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach us out again.
Generally, for LendingClub personal loan they require that the applicant must be at least 18 years old. Should you need to know more about the requirements and eligibility criteria for this loan. You may need to review the details provided above.
Thank you for contacting finder. We are a comparison website and general information service, we’re more than happy to offer general advice.
To apply for a personal loan with Lending Club, you’ll need to meet general eligibility requirements.
– You must be a US citizen, a permanent resident or in the US on a valid long-term visa.
– You must be at least 18 years old.
– You must have a valid bank account.
You’ll need to gather the following information before applying:
– Your name, contact information and date of birth.
– How much you want to borrow and the purpose of the loan.
– Your credit score range.
– Your annual individual income.
If you are offered a loan, you can watch as investors offer you loans with varying APRs and repayment terms. Once approved, you’ll typically receive the funds directly into your account within seven days. You may proceed by clicking the green “Go to Site” button for more details.
Hello Sir,
My name is Muhammad Bin Naseer i am from Pakistan age 25 and i want urgent loan of 10000$ for expanding my running business i will return you in easy installments of 10 year
Thanks for contacting finder, a comparison website and general information service.
Please note that the loan options that we currently feature on our pages are only applicable within US and the lenders that we feature on our pages could only cater to loan applicants who are either residents or citizens of the US or US visa holders who are currently residing in the US.
Kindly get in touch with your local banks or lenders for possible loan options that you may apply for in your region.
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