Sometimes life throws you a curveball, and your salary or savings aren’t enough to cover a big expense like home repairs, college tuition or medical costs. Maybe you want to consolidate your debt or start a small business, but you would have a hard time qualifying for a business loan. That’s when a personal loan can come in handy.
With a personal loan, you borrow a set amount of money that is paid back (usually monthly) with a fixed rate over a set period of time. Most personal loans are unsecured meaning you don’t have to put down a deposit or have collateral such as a car or a home to get the loan. But because unsecured loans are riskier for lenders, they usually charge higher interest rates than they would for a secured loan.
Some major lenders don’t offer unsecured personal loans. For example, Bank of America, the second largest banking institution in the United States, no longer offers personal loans.
But that doesn’t mean you’re out of options — there are plenty of online lenders, credit unions and banks that offer personal loans, including large traditional lenders like Citibank, Wells Fargo, U.S. Bancorp, PNC, and SunTrust Bank.
Alternatives to Bank of America personal loans
If you’ve decided that a personal loan is a right fit for your needs, you can find them through local banks, credit unions, and online lenders. To get your best interest rates and terms, shop around. Just be aware that many lenders will do a hard pull of your credit if you apply for a loan, meaning that each credit check could ding your score. Luckily, here at MagnifyMoney, we allow you to review rates, fees, and other terms in our personal loan marketplace.
You can also use our widget below to compare offers from up to five different lenders on LendingTree’s marketplace by filling out an online form.
APR
5.99%
To
35.99%
Credit Req.
Minimum 500 FICO
Minimum Credit Score
Origination Fee
Varies
LendingTree is our parent company. LendingTree is unique in that you may be able to compare up to five personal loan offers within minutes. Everything is done online and you may be pre-qualified by lenders without impacting your credit score. LendingTree is not a lender.
Online personal loan options
Many online lenders offer competitive interest rates for personal loans, especially if you have good credit. They also usually do just a soft credit pull when you apply, so you can get an interest rate quote without impacting your credit score. However, if you need to borrow a large amount of money, especially over $35,000 (generally the limit for many online lenders), you may need to look elsewhere. And although online lenders will approve loans for people with credit scores as low as 600, they’ll also charge much higher interest rates in those cases.
- Average rates: 5.99% to 35.99%
- Term length: 24 to 60 months
- Borrowing limits: Up to $50,000
Here’s a look at some of the rates and terms for personal loans from leading online lenders:
Company
APR
Terms
Credit Req.
LendingTree is our parent company. LendingTree is unique in that you may be able to compare up to five personal loan offers within minutes. Everything is done online and you may be pre-qualified by lenders without impacting your credit score. LendingTree is not a lender.
Your APR may differ based on loan purpose, amount, term, and your credit profile. Rate is quoted with AutoPay discount, which is only available when you select AutoPay prior to loan funding. Rates under the invoicing option are 0.50% higher. Subject to credit approval. Conditions and limitations apply. Advertised rates and terms are subject to change without notice. Payment example: Monthly payments for a $10,000 loan at 3.34% APR with a term of 3 years would result in 36 monthly payments of $292.31.
Fixed rates from 6.99% APR to 14.99% APR (with AutoPay). Variable rates from 6.26% APR to 14.10% APR (with AutoPay). SoFi rate ranges are current as of November 30, 2018 and are subject to change without notice. Not all rates and amounts available in all states. See Personal Loan eligibility details. Not all applicants qualify for the lowest rate. If approved for a loan, to qualify for the lowest rate, you must have a responsible financial history and meet other conditions. Your actual rate will be within the range of rates listed above and will depend on a variety of factors, including evaluation of your credit worthiness, years of professional experience, income and other factors. See APR examples and terms. Interest rates on variable rate loans are capped at 14.95%. Lowest variable rate of 6.26% APR assumes current 1-month LIBOR rate of 2.33% plus 4.175% margin minus 0.25% AutoPay discount. For the SoFi variable rate loan, the 1-month LIBOR index will adjust monthly and the loan payment will be re-amortized and may change monthly. APRs for variable rate loans may increase after origination if the LIBOR index increases. The SoFi 0.25% AutoPay interest rate reduction requires you to agree to make monthly principal and interest payments by an automatic monthly deduction from a savings or checking account. The benefit will discontinue and be lost for periods in which you do not pay by automatic deduction from a savings or checking account.
To check the rates and terms you qualify for, SoFi conducts a soft credit pull that will not affect your credit score. However, if you choose a product and continue your application, we will request your full credit report from one or more consumer reporting agencies, which is considered a hard credit pull.
See Consumer Licenses.
SoFi Personal Loans are not available to residents of MS. Maximum interest rate on loans for residents of AK and WY is 9.99% APR, for residents of IL with loans over $40,000 is 8.99% APR, for residents of TX is 9.99% APR on terms greater than 5 years, for residents of CO, CT, HI, VA, SC is 11.99% APR, and for residents of ME is 12.24% APR. Personal loans not available to residents of MI who already have a student loan with SoFi. Personal Loans minimum loan amount is $5,000. Residents of AZ, MA, and NH have a minimum loan amount of $10,001. Residents of KY have a minimum loan amount of $15,001. Residents of PA have a minimum loan amount of $25,001. Variable rates not available to residents of AK, TX, VA, WY, or for residents of IL for loans greater than $40,000.
Terms and Conditions Apply. SOFI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS AND BENEFITS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. To qualify, a borrower must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident in an eligible state and meet SoFi's underwriting requirements. Not all borrowers receive the lowest rate. To qualify for the lowest rate, you must have a responsible financial history and meet other conditions. If approved, your actual rate will be within the range of rates listed above and will depend on a variety of factors, including term of loan, a responsible financial history, years of experience, income and other factors. Rates and Terms are subject to change at anytime without notice and are subject to state restrictions. SoFi refinance loans are private loans and do not have the same repayment options that the federal loan program offers such as Income Based Repayment or Income Contingent Repayment or PAYE. Licensed by the Department of Business Oversight under the California Financing Law License No. 6054612. SoFi loans are originated by SoFi Lending Corp., NMLS # 1121636. (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org)
Your loan terms are not guaranteed and are subject to our verification of your identity and credit information.To obtain a loan, you must submit additional documentation including an application that may affect your credit score. Rates will vary based on many factors, such as your creditworthiness (for example, credit score and credit history) and the length of your loan (for example, rates for 36 month loans are generally lower than rates for 72 month loans).Your maximum loan amount may vary depending on your loan purpose, income and creditworthiness. Your verifiable income must support your ability to repay your loan. Marcus by Goldman Sachs is a brand of Goldman Sachs Bank USA and all loans are issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City Branch. Applications are subject to additional terms and conditions.
*The Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is the cost of credit as a yearly rate and ranges from 5.99%-29.99%, which may include an origination fee from 0.99% - 5.99%. Any origination fee on a 5-year loan will be at least 4.99% and is deducted from loan proceeds. The APR offered will depend on your credit score, income, debt payment obligations, loan amount, loan term, credit usage history and other factors, and therefore may be higher than our lowest advertised rate. Requests for the highest loan amount may resulting an APR higher than our lowest advertised rate. You need a minimum 700 FICO® score and a minimum individual annual income of $100,000 to qualify for our lowest rate.
Best Egg loans are unsecured personal loans made by Cross River Bank, a New Jersey State Chartered Commercial Bank, Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender. "Best Egg" is a trademark of Marlette Funding LLC. All uses of "Best Egg" on this site mean and shall refer to "the Best Egg personal loan" and/or "Best Egg on behalf of Cross River Bank, as originator of the Best Egg personal loan," as applicable. Loan amounts generally range from $2,000-$35,000. Offers up to $50,000 may be available for qualified customers who receive offer codes in the mail. The minimum individual annual income needed to qualify for a loan of $50,000 is $130,000. Borrowers may hold no more than two open Best Egg loans at any given time. In order to be eligible for a second Best Egg loan, your existing Best Egg loan must have been open for at least six months. Total existing Best Egg loan balances must not exceed $50,000. All loans in MA must exceed $6,000; in NM, OH must exceed $5,000; in GA must exceed $3,000.
Borrowers should refer to their loan agreement for specific terms and conditions. A loan example: a 5–year $10,000 loan with 9.99% APR has 60 scheduled monthly payments of $201.81, and a 3–year $5,000 loan with 5.99% APR has 36 scheduled monthly payments of $150.57. Your verifiable income must support your ability to repay your loan. Upon loan funding, the timing of available funds may vary depending upon your bank's policies.
To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person who opens an account. When you open an account, we will ask for your name, address, date of birth, and other information that will allow us to identify you.
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Loan approval and actual loan terms depend on your ability to meet our standard credit criteria (including credit history, income and debts) and the availability of collateral. Loan amounts subject to state specific minimum or maximum size restrictions. Collateral offered must meet our criteria. Active duty military, their spouse or dependents covered by the Military Lending Act may not pledge any vehicle as collateral. CA minimum loan amount is $3,000. GA minimum loan amount is $1,500 for present customers and $3,100 for others.
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Bank personal loans
In some situations, banks are the lenders that offer the best interest rates, but that’s not always the case with personal loans. Because many personal loans are unsecured, and therefore riskier, banks tend to charge higher rates than credit unions.
As with other types of loans, bank loans generally are geared more toward people with good credit — scores of 680 and above — and the better your credit, the better your interest rate. On the plus side, banks tend to offer higher borrowing limits if you need more money.
- Average rates: 6.99% to 20.24%
- Term length: 12 to 84 months
- Borrowing limits: Up to $100,000
Credit union personal loans
Credit unions offer some of the lowest interest rates for personal loans, and will even approve loans for people with credit scores under 600. Unlike most banks, credit unions are nonprofit, so any profits they make tend to benefit their members in the form of better interest rates or lower fees. To apply for a loan, you’ll need to join the credit union and meet all the requirements for membership.
- Average rates: 6.49% to 18%
- Term length: 12 to 84 months
- Borrowing limits: Up to $50,000
How to compare personal loan offers
When you’re looking at personal loan offers, you should know how much the loan will truly cost you, including the interest rate, the length of the loan and any fees that you’ll have to pay (an origination fee, for example). You’ll likely get better interest rates if your credit score is high and/or you have collateral to secure the loan. However, most personal loans don’t require collateral.
- APR: In most cases, the better your credit score (740 and above is ideal), the lower the interest rate you’ll receive for a personal loan. Do some comparison shopping to find the loans with the lowest interest rates and best terms.
- Term length: Most personal loans will have a term between 24 and 60 months, with some as short as 12 months or as long as 84 months. Think about how long you’ll realistically need to repay the loan and how long you want to owe the debt. If you want the option of repaying the loan early, find out if there are prepayment penalties.
- Fees: The APR isn’t the only factor that determines how much the loan will cost you. Fees can really make a difference. A common fee charged for personal loans is an origination fee, which is charged to cover the cost of processing the loan. Some origination fees are flat amounts while others are a percentage of the amount borrowed.
- Secured vs. unsecured: A secured loan means you put down collateral such as property to back the loan in case you default. An unsecured loan means there’s no specific asset tied to the loan. Secured loans will have lower interest rates, but you risk losing your collateral — whether it’s your house, car or savings account — if you default on the loan.
4 alternatives to a personal loan
A personal loan isn’t your only option, and may not be your best option, depending on why you need the money and how you want to pay it back. There are other loans that accomplish similar goals. The important things to know are how much interest you’ll end up paying, how long you’ll be given to repay the loan, what kind of expenses the loan financing can be used toward and what happens if you miss a payment or default on the loan.
1. 0% Intro APR balance transfer credit card
Many credit cards will offer a 0% APR introductory balance transfer offer. This offer, typically lasting anywhere from 6 to 21 months, means you won’t pay interest on your debt for that period of time. Make sure to find out if you’ll be charged balance transfer fees and what the card’s interest rate will be after the introductory period. Take a look at credit cards with introductory 0% APR balance transfer offers at MagnifyMoney’s marketplace
Pros
- You can consolidate your debt
- You can potentially move to a credit card with better terms
- You can pay down debt faster
- You won’t pay interest for several months
Cons
- You’ll typically need good credit to qualify
- You may be charged a balance transfer fee
- You could end up with a higher interest rate
- Regular APR
- 13.99% - 24.99% Variable
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% for 6 Months
- Intro BT APR
- 0% for 18 Months
- Rewards Rate
- 5% cash back at different places each quarter like gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, Amazon.com and more up to the quarterly maximum, each time you activate, 1% unlimited cash back on all other purchases - automatically.
Credit required
good-credit
2. Home equity loan
A home equity loan is a second mortgage that borrows against the equity you’ve built in your home. Like a personal loan, you receive the funding in a lump sum and the loan comes with a fixed interest rate.
Pros
- You can get lower interest rates because your equity in the home secures the loan
- Easier to qualify for if you have poor credit
Cons
- If you can’t repay the loan, you risk losing your home
3. Home equity line of credit (HELOC)
A home equity line of credit (HELOC) also involves borrowing against your home’s equity, but in this case, you’re approved for a certain amount of credit that you can draw from. But you only need to repay, and only pay interest on, the amount you draw. As with a home equity loan, your house is the collateral for the loan.
Pros
- You can get lower interest rates because your equity in the home secures the loan
- Easier to qualify for if you have poor credit
- You only pay interest on the amount you draw from the line of credit
Cons
- You may be charged several types of fees such as transaction fees, maintenance fees and closing fees
- If you can’t repay the loan, you risk losing your home
- Some lines have variable interest rates, meaning your interest rate could go up
4. Peer to peer lending
Banks, credit unions and online lenders aren’t the only financing games in town. Peer to peer lending is when an individual or hedge fund is matched to someone looking for a loan, either through a company or a website. These loans are very similar to personal loans and tend to have competitive interest rates.
Pros
- Potential for lower interest rates
- Easy application process
Cons
- May take longer for approval than from bank or credit union
- You’ll need to do some legwork to make sure you’re working with a reputable company
Other loans offered by Bank of America
Although Bank of America doesn’t offer personal loans, they do offer other loans that can be used to pay medical expenses, consolidate debt, make home improvements or fund a business. Bank of America’s financing options include a credit card with a 0% percent introductory APR offer for 15 months, a home equity line of credit and an auto loan.
