Posted on December 06th, 2011 in
loans
Peer to peer loans are basically just a loans to individuals that are not supported by collatral, also known as personal loans.. Because the loans are unsecured, they are supported by nothing much more than a promise to repay. Prosper and The Lending Club are the two dominant peer to peer loan and investment providers in the US today. Peer to peer lenders who use these two companies are really “investors” in the loans provided by Prosper or The Lending Club.
With Prosper investing and Lending Club investing, an investor can start from as little as $25, meaning anyone can get started as a peer to peer investor. There are literally hundreds of choices when it comes to investment strategies. When a loan is chosen by the investor it is understood that the investor has a “security interest” in the loan. Reading through the prospectus provided by Prosper and The Lending Club will explain this in further detail.
Both the lending companies will first look for a credit score of least 640, which is considered “Good”, before approving a loan. The loan period starts when a borrower only when the loan is funded, that is, when the borrower receives the cash. Many have found that the Lending Club loans have tighter restrictions than Prosper loans.
After the initial application screen, that follows is a process very similar to obtaining a loan from a bank. There are loan criteria apart from the credit score that need to be satisfied according to the Internet bank that these two companies use to provide the funds. Typically, a borrower’s capacity to pay is determined by their income level. Likelihood of repayment is measured by credit history.
Prosper fees and The Lending Club fees are typically greater than what may be demanded from “normal” banks. Both Prosper fees and Lending Club fees may be up to 5% of the total of the loan, which raises the effective rate for the borrower higher than the “face rate” of the loan. It is important for the investor to realise that a borrower may be coming to one of these two companies because they are unable to get approval for a loan elsewhere.
An investor is the “peer” in a “peer to peer” financial cycle, mostly because they are normal wage earners or salary earners, much like the person taking out the loan. Investors would be wise to tread cautiously when choosing Prosper investments or The Lending Club investments. Professional financial advice is highly recommended.
Once a lender has decided to jump in, they will review the financial summary of a borrower’s history. Borrowers may be asked to answer a few questions. All financial data, such as credit score, debt load, and income should be factored into the decision to invest in a loan or not. Listening to a borrower’s story may also provide some insight.
Prosper and The Lending Company smooth out the whole process by providing pooled loan investments. This is the safest and easiest way to get started without the higher risks, as reviewing loan applications on a case by case basis is not required.
Borrowers are required to pay monthly, with the investors receiving principal, and accrued interest in return every month. The whole process is automated by the web bank. Take note that a standard amortization early payment call will incur quite a bit more interest than later payments. Higher payments will mean that a larger percentage of principal is in each subsequent payment.
A Prosper investment or Lending Club investment can add a high-yield element to an investor’s overall portfolio. With interest rates much lower with other investments, this is a great time to learn more about peer to peer loans.