I'm a Fintech, personal finance, investing, alternative investments, credit, small business, careers, loans, money mindset, retirement and debt writer.
LendingTree is America's largest online loan marketplace. It connects borrowers with multiple lenders so they can find the best deals on personal loans, credit cards, deposit accounts, insurance and more.
Our Partner
Loan Marketplace
AT A GLANCE
- Personal loan rates from multiple lenders
- Takes a few minutes to get rates
- Absolutely free to use
- Work with quality lenders
A+ BBB Rating
Best Marketplace for Home & Personal Loans
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Pros & Cons
Pros
Cons
There are so many lenders out there it’s hard to figure out which ones are the best suited for your needs.
From online-only companies, to brick and mortar locations, to local companies, it can take a lot of time and hassle to look up rates for a loan and compare them using a personal loan calculator.
Plus, if you start applying for loans (though some you simply go through a pre-approval process first), your credit score could get dinged.
So what’s a person to do? LendingTree is a company that can help you cut through the confusion and the amount of time it takes to compare loans.
It’s not a lending company per se — it’s a marketplace of sorts where it works partner companies to tell you what you can qualify for.
It will take your information and send it over, who then in turn show you different loan terms you can get, all in one place.
But is it worth using the service? Let’s find out.
Quick Summary
Service: Loan quotes
Fees: Free
Promotion: No current promos
What is LendingTree?
LendingTree is one of the country’s largest loan marketplace online. As mentioned above briefly, borrowers can search for a bunch of lenders in one place — find the best personal loans for your needs by seeing what you may be able to qualify for.
That way, you can see personal loan rates and terms all in one place it saves you time when doing research.
Lending Tree doesn’t directly dish out loans - so there's really no such thing as a LendingTree personal loans, rather it’s a lender aggregator who sends you to a lender site after you find the one you want.
Launched in 1998, the company has since helped more than 100 million customers and facilitated over 55 million loan requests.
Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, it’s a publicly traded company and helps borrowers all over the U.S.
How LendingTree Works?
To save you time, LendingTree has streamlined process so you can start comparing rates in as little as a few minutes.
Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Submit Your Information
Pick what kind of loan you want then complete the online request form. Information you need to submit typically includes your credit score range, the loan amount you want to borrow and your email address.
This usually takes around 15 minutes. Instead of the online form, you can call LendingTree customer service and submit information over the phone.
Make a request - Once you’ve completed the form, you can then submit the form to send to prospective lenders.
Step 2: Wait for a response
Lenders will then get a hold of the information you submitted and LendingTree will match you with offers.
Typically these offers will be sent to you via email once LendingTree finds out a prospective lender is interested in offering you a loan.
Step 3: Choose from different loan offers
Once you get multiple loan offers (assuming there are any), then you can choose from the options available to you. LendingTree categorizes each one using their scoring methods through user reviews.
In some cases they’ve done a thorough review on their website by way of written articles.
Step 4: Negotiate or accept loan offer
If you like something you see, you can then contact the lender directly to negotiate the rate or to submit an application for a loan (you’re only pre-approved for offers, so it’s not a guarantee you’ll be approved).
There is no obligation to accept any loan offers if you like none of them.
Also, if you're not certain about your credit report before you apply, you can use LendingTree's free credit score service so you know how to grade your credit history when you apply.
Types of Loans Available
LendingTree offers a wide variety of loans to choose from. Below are what you can find on their platform:
Auto Loans
You can finance vehicles such as cars, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, trucks and vans. In fact, there are loans for boats if that’s what you’re looking for.
Getting an auto loan is simple — fill out the prompts and it’ll help you figure out how much you need to borrow then you’ll be able to see competing loan offers.
Questions you’ll need to answer include the type of vehicle you intend to purchase, whether it’s a purchase or refinance, and how much you have set aside for a down payment.
Business Loans
Small businesses might find LendingTree useful since you can find a bunch of small business lenders instead of banks and credit unions that tend to avoid these types of loans.
Different loan types you can find on LendingTree include:
- Accounts receivable financing
- Business credit cards
- Business lines of credit (LOCs)
- Equipment financing
- Long-term business loans
- Short-term business loans
- SBA loans
- Small business loans
- Working capital loans
Credit Cards
There are so many credit cards it’s hard to figure out what’s the best suited for your credit situation and specific needs. Sure you get email or snail mail offers, but you don’t really know if you’ll be approved or there’s a better offer out there.
Well LendingTree will help you sift through all the credit card offers it has on file and will help find the right ones for you.
After entering your financial and credit information on their online application form, you’ll be able to see the results on an easy read chart — the credit card offers will be laced side by side so you can quickly compare offers.
Details you’ll be able to see include, fees, bonuses, earnings, benefits, interest rates and the credit score range you’ll need to get the card.
You can sort through offers based on factors such as annual fee, rewards earnings, and interest rate. Then, you can submit multiple applications with the click of a button.
Home Loans
LendingTree is mainly known for helping borrowers with home loans. These include mortgages, refinancing, reverse mortgages and home equity loans.
Other loans on offer are construction financing and FHA/VA mortgages. Yes, LendingTree is a licensed mortgage broker.
Mortgages for purchase include single family homes, condos, townhomes, multi-family homes, mobile and manufactured homes.
You may be able to look up loans for primary residences, rental properties and even second homes. LendingTree can even refer to you a local real estate agent if you haven’t found one yet.
Debt Consolidation
Debt consolidation considering many people are looking to ditch their high interest and pay one affordable monthly payment.
The good news is that LendingTree has partnered up with many online lenders to help with your debt consolidation efforts. They may even be able to connect you with a dedicated credit repair loan provider.
The website also offers other resources to help you wade through your choices, since debt consolidation can encompass so many types.
Here are a few debts you may want to consolidate:
- Court judgements
- Unpaid utility bills
- Credit card debt and other types of unsecured loans
- Medical bills
- Money owed to collection agencies
- Taxes
Resources LendingTree offers include guides on the types of debt you can consolidate as well as the pros and cons of each kind of financing available.
You can even access their debt consolidation calculator to see how much you can be saving in monthly payments.
Student Loans
Looking for private student loan options to supplement federal loans can be tedious and can take a long time.
There are so many choices and it can take hours to find one that offers the best rates and terms. LendingTree can help you by bringing the lenders to you.
Once you submit your details, LendingTree will show you the best offers for you to choose from, whether you’re looking to refinance your student loans or getting a new one.
Does LendingTree Charge For It's Services?
No, not directly to the consumer. LendingTree earns its revenue from their partner lenders. These companies will pay LendingTree a fee to use their platform.
LendingTree also makes it money from its marketing lead generator services. As in, your information could be given to third party lenders so these partners can solicit you for your business.
Should You Use LendingTree?
The main advantage with using LendingTree is that it has a wide variety of types of loans you can do research on - with options for most credit scores.
While there are other loan comparison websites competing for your attention, you’ll find that LendingTree typically has the most lenders you can choose from.
These partners are all looking for your business, so you can see at a glance at a bunch of different lenders to see what is the best option for you. The comparison will also show rates, any origination fee to pay, and other details.
Plus, you’re not committing to anything at this point, so your credit score won’t be dinged until you go and apply for the loan on the lender’s website.
However, be warned that you will probably be solicited by different lenders once you enter your information on LendingTree’s website, even after you choose your lender.
LendingTree is open about the fact that they’re a company that generates leads, so your contact information is made available to their lender partners.
If this is of concern to you, then it might be a better idea to find another platform or do your own research but that can take up more time.
However, if you’re ok with other lenders contacting you (you can ask to be taken off their mailing list) then give LendingTree a try.
LendingTree
LendingTree, is America's largest online lending marketplace. It connects borrowers with multiple lenders so they can find the best deals on loans, credit cards, deposit accounts, insurance and more.
I'm a Fintech, personal finance, investing, alternative investments, credit, small business, careers, loans, money mindset, retirement and debt writer.
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