FAQ

Loans.net is a free loan-matching service run by Loans.net Network Ltd in New York since 2009. Instead of applying to lenders one at a time and filling in the same details again and again, you send one short request. Lenders in our network review it, and a lender that can work with you contacts you directly with an offer.

We are not a lender. We don’t lend money, set rates or approve loans. We match requests for personal, bad-credit, debt consolidation, mortgage, car, business and no-doc loans, plus payday loans and cash advances. We don’t match student loans or credit cards today.

No. Loans.net is a loan-matching service, not a lender or a bank, and we never make loans ourselves. Each lender in our network sets its own rates, terms and approval rules, and the lender that makes you an offer handles the application, the approval and the funding.

Whoever contacts you, you can check that the lender is licensed in your state at NMLS Consumer Access. And never pay a fee up front to get a loan funded; a legitimate lender takes its fees out of the loan or adds them to it.

Lenders pay us. Some pay when they accept your request, others when a loan is funded, and the arrangement varies from lender to lender. You never pay Loans.net anything, whether you take a loan or not.

We explain how we keep lender payments separate from what we publish in our editorial policy.

It takes about two minutes on your side:

1. Tell us what you need. Choose the kind of loan and answer a few questions about the amount, what it’s for, your income and how to reach you. A soft credit check runs when you send the request.

2. Lenders review it. Your request goes to lenders in our network. Their systems check it automatically against what each one is willing to lend.

3. A lender contacts you. A lender that can work with your amount and credit profile accepts your request and gets in touch directly with its offer. If no lender accepts it, no one contacts you.

4. You decide. Read the offer, and only apply if the rate, fees and payment work for you. From there, that lender handles everything.

No. Loans.net uses a soft credit check, which doesn’t affect your credit score. Soft inquiries are visible only to you, not to other lenders.

If you go on to apply with a lender, that lender will usually run a hard credit check, which can lower your score by a few points for a short time. That’s a separate step you take with the lender, so you’ll know before it happens.

A soft inquiry is a background check lenders use to estimate what they’d likely offer you, without it appearing on the credit reports that other lenders can see. It has no impact on your score. A hard inquiry is a full credit pull tied to an actual loan application; it can appear on your credit report and cause a small, temporary score decrease (typically a few points).

Sending a request through Loans.net only triggers a soft inquiry. A hard inquiry is only initiated by the individual lender, and only after you formally apply with them — not when you send your request.

You can see every inquiry on your credit reports for free at AnnualCreditReport.com. If you spot one you don’t recognize, the CFPB explains how to dispute it.

Not until you sign. A lender’s first offer is based on the details in your request and a soft credit check, so treat it as an estimate rather than a final offer of credit.

When you apply, the lender verifies your income, employment and full credit history. The final rate, fees and term can change after that review, and every loan is subject to the lender’s approval. Loans.net doesn’t set or show rates itself.

Lenders weigh several things: your credit score and history, your income and debt-to-income ratio, the loan amount and term, the type of loan (a secured car loan usually costs less than an unsecured personal loan, for example) and where market rates are at the time.

Because each lender weighs those factors differently, one lender may turn you down while another makes an offer. That’s why one request that reaches many lenders beats applying to them one at a time.

You can send a request for:

Personal loans, including debt consolidation. Bad credit loans for borrowers with lower scores. Mortgages and home loans. Car loans. Business loans. No-doc loans. Payday loans and cash advances (U.S. citizens or permanent residents, 18 or older).

We don’t match student loans or credit cards today. For student loans, start with federal loans at StudentAid.gov; our student loan guide explains why.

There’s no single minimum, because each lender sets its own rules. Our network includes lenders that work with fair and bad credit as well as lenders that focus on strong credit.

If your credit is less than perfect, expect a higher APR to cover the lender’s added risk; our bad credit loans guide shows what’s realistic. The only way to know what a lender will offer you is to send a request. It’s free and uses a soft credit check, so it won’t hurt your score.

It depends on the type of loan and the lender. Personal loans usually run from a few thousand dollars up to tens of thousands, repaid over one to seven years. Mortgages are far larger and run 10 to 30 years. Payday loans and cash advances are small, short-term loans; our request form covers 00 to ,500.

The amount and term you actually get depend on your income, your credit and the lender’s rules. The lender that contacts you will tell you what it can offer.

It depends on the loan and the lender. Many personal loans, payday loans and some business loans can fund as soon as the next business day after you’re approved and finish the lender’s application. Mortgages take much longer, usually several weeks, because of the appraisal, title work and full underwriting.

Ask the lender that contacts you when the money would arrive before you accept its offer.

The Loans.net request only asks for basic information, with no documents to upload. If you go ahead and apply with a lender, it will usually ask for proof of identity (a driver’s license or state ID), proof of income (pay stubs, tax returns or bank statements) and proof of address. Mortgage and business loans usually need more, such as tax returns, bank statements or a business plan.

The lender will tell you exactly what it needs when you start its application.

Lenders in our network serve borrowers across the United States, but which products and lenders are available depends on your state, because lending laws and rate caps differ. Some products, such as payday loans and some short-term or bad-credit loans, aren’t offered in states with strict rate caps.

Before you accept any offer, you can check that the lender is licensed in your state at NMLS Consumer Access.

Your request is sent over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection, and we only collect what lenders need to review it. When you send a request, we share it with lenders in our network so they can decide whether to make you an offer. We don’t sell your information for advertising.

Our Privacy Policy explains what we collect, who we share it with, and your rights, including extra rights for California residents under the CCPA.

Loans.net doesn’t make sales calls. The lender that accepts your request will contact you directly about its offer, by phone, email or text, using the details you gave. If no lender accepts your request, no one gets in touch.

If you’d rather a lender stop contacting you, tell that lender. For a question about your data with us, contact Loans.net.

You don’t have to accept anything. Sending a request is free and doesn’t commit you to a loan. If the offer doesn’t fit your budget, say no. There’s no fee from Loans.net and no mark on your credit report for walking away.

You can also try again later. Lenders change what they offer, so if your credit improves or you’re not in a rush, a new request in a few months may get a better offer.

The lender explains its offer and, if you want to go ahead, walks you through its application. It will usually run a hard credit check, verify your income and identity, and set the final rate, term and monthly payment. From then on, the lender, not Loans.net, handles the approval, funding and repayments.

Read the lender’s own terms, fees and privacy policy before you sign, since they may differ from what’s described on Loans.net.

For questions about Loans.net, a request you’ve sent, or your privacy rights, reach out through our Contact page or email privacy@loans.net for data-specific requests. For questions about a specific loan you’ve already applied for or accepted — payment due dates, funding status, or account issues — you’ll need to contact that lender directly, since the lender services the loan, not Loans.net.