Funding Circle Review

Sunday, February 5th

2023 Business Loan Provider Reviews

Funding Circle

Funding Circle is a great choice among peer-to-peer lending companies. Its cofounders created the company as small business owners themselves, who were frustrated with their attempts to access financial assistance to grow their business even when their company was thriving. Funding Circle was designed to be a better solution for American small business owners, although their customers come from not just the US but also the UK, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands. More than 15,000 loans have been funded through Funding Circle since 2010, with a total of more than $2 billion loaned.

Standout process

One thing that makes Funding Circle stand out among providers of business loans is their transparency throughout the entire loan process. While some companies make it difficult to determine interest rates and fees without reading the fine print, Funding Circle clearly lists every possible cost on their Rates and Fees page:

• Origination fees range from 3.49% to 7.99%
• 6-month loans have interest rates from 4.99% to 23.24%
• 12-month loans have interest rates from 7.30% to 23.74%
• 24-month loans have interest rates from 7.60% to 25.54%
• 36-month loans have interest rates from 7.90% to 26.29%
• 48-month loans have interest rates from 8.20% to 27.04%
• 60-month loans have interest rates from 8.50% to 27.79%
• No prepayment fees
• Late payment fee: 5% of the missed payment

Very competitive

Not only are Funding Circle's costs and fees readily available, they are extremely competitive within the business loans market. Funding Circle loans range from $25,000 to $500,000, considerably more than many of the lenders in our review.

We were also impressed by Funding Circle's A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, as an accredited business since 2013.

Loan criteria

In order to qualify for a loan with Funding Circle, borrowers must meet several criteria. For loans under $300,000, applicants must provide documentation of the two most recent year's business tax returns, the most recent year of their personal tax return, and the six most recent months' business bank statements, For loans over $300,000, applicants must also submit a year-to-date income statement and balance sheet, and an Outstanding Business Loans & Credit Worksheet available from Funding Circle upon request.

Those documents will be requested after the borrower has completed the short online application form and received a phone call from one of Funding Circle's specialists. They will typically call within two hours of submitting the online application. Once the borrower's information is verified and the loan is approved, funds are available within 5-10 days.

Impressive resource center

We were also impressed by Funding Circle's Resource Center, full of blog posts, videos, and other sources of information to help small businesses with their efforts to grow and succeed. The entire site is clean and easy to navigate, inspiring confidence in Funding Circle's ability to genuinely provide borrowers with an all-around excellent experience.

Excellent choice

Because of their transparency with respect to interest rates and fees, their excellent rating with the BBB, and their deep commitment to helping small business owners get the funding to grow their businesses, we give Funding Circle very high marks. They are an excellent choice for business owners in need of some extra funding.