2015-08-17
One Millennial’s Experience Getting a Marketplace Loan
People change cities, plans, jobs, cars, friends; life is ever-changing. In my case, almost all of those things changed in 2014. But let’s flashback to 2013, for a moment, when a significantly less mature version of myself thought it would be an acceptable idea to have the rims and side mirrors on my car painted pink. And don’t think I stopped there; I also considered it crucial to re-fabric the interior roof with a black and white print. Needless to say I looked a bit ridiculous. At that time, I was living on Long Island where a car is a necessity and others will define you in part by the car you drive. Not long thereafter I realized that I needed to upgrade from the “pink mutant” to something more socially acceptable. So I bought a brand new car.
I continued working and driving on Long Island for about a year and a half until my plans and life changed…. Shortly after pursuing a career in line with my college degree (geology), I realized it wasn’t for me. So I started a new job search, and finally landed an amazing opportunity in Manhattan. No longer did I need my car, but I still owed around $4,000 on the loan. After a few failed attempts of trying to sell it, still with the lien, I realized I needed to pay off the remainder of the loan in full. Of course I could have dipped into my bank account, but selling the car came at a time when I was just moving into my new apartment without any furniture or kitchenware - not even a single fork or plate to eat take out chinese food on. So what (little) money I did have, had to go towards funding my day to day life. I had no idea what to do, so for two months I kept making payments on a car that was just collecting pollen in my parents driveway. Then I started thinking about ways to get $4,000 and here’s what I came up with:
- Borrow it from my dad. An obvious choice and he would gladly help me out, but come on we young adults are supposed to be independent (or at least pretend to be).
- Take out a loan from a bank. I don’t even like using an ATM, let alone walking through the second set of doors into what I imagined as a screaming room full of children, high on sugar and wielding uncapped markers.
- Google “Marketplace Lending”. I was hearing and learning about marketplace lending, so…
I chose the last option and Googled “Marketplace Lending,” sought advice from a few trusted sources, and came to the conclusion that I should give it a shot. It’s laughably simple to use, and if you aren’t familiar with the topic I suggest reading up on it. Basically, you apply for a loan online from lenders that want to give you money at interest rates starting at around 5.99%. The interest rate you get depends on a host of variables, credit score being one of them. Using EVEN Financial’s software, I found the best personalized option, offered to me through their relationships with many different loan providers which each have their own rates and specialties. Once you choose an offer, the instructions on the website are clear and easy to follow. Name, address, social security number, etc. Did I mention this entire process is only completed digitally? The online form (singular) took me all of 5 minutes to complete. Over the following two days the lender asked me to submit two forms of proof - my utility bill and bank statement. Done and done. And then I waited for the money to be deposited into my account, which occurred several days later. Overall the experience was extremely positive.I did have some feedback about the specific company I used for the loan, for example I didn’t feel like they communicated enough with me about the status of my loan through the process, and I actually thought based on what I’d read that I would have the money even faster than I did. That said, I much preferred doing everything online and still would not have gone to a physical bank or haggled with my dad for the cash. So even with the few areas that could have been improved, I would definitely still use this process again in the event I needed cash in the future. The biggest take away is that I would likely still be paying a $400/month car payment (+ insurance) for a car that I don’t drive if marketplace lending didn’t exist. My loan was a $5,000 loan at a 7.36% interest rate. That is considerably higher than my current car loan (0.9%), but a great feature of Marketplace Lending loans - there is no prepayment penalty. When I sell my car, I pay off my loan (in full) and I can prepare for the next big change in my life, whatever that might be. Plus, I also have furniture in my apartment. And one last piece of advice - don’t ever do this to your car.
Disclaimer: The material provided on this site is not intended to provide legal, investment, or financial advice or to indicate the suitability of any Even Financial product or service to your unique circumstances. For specific advice about your unique circumstances, you may wish to consult a qualified professional. Any information or statistical data sourced by Even Financial through hyperlinks, from third-party websites, are provided for informational purposes only. While Even Financial finds these sources to be accurate, it does not endorse or guarantee any third-party content.
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Even Financial Adds Tally's Low-Interest Line of Credit to its Embedded Finance Marketplace
NEW YORK, NY, March 15, 2022 -- Even Financial ("Even"), the category-leading embedded finance marketplace and independently managed subsidiary of MoneyLion, Inc. (NYSE: ML), has announced a new partnership with Tally, a leading financial automation company, to include the company's low-interest credit offerings on its platform.
"Tally has built a powerful tech-enabled system to help people solve one of the biggest financial problems today: paying off credit card debt," said Phill Rosen, Founder and CEO of Even. "We're thrilled to welcome Tally's line of credit offerings to Even's unparalleled network of financial services providers."
Tally is designed to help its members pay off their debt faster and save them money on interest and late fees. Members can lower their monthly payment with Tally's lower-interest line of credit, if eligible. Typically, at least a 580 FICO score is needed. Tally's system is customized to save people as much money as possible.
"Americans today owe nearly $1 trillion in credit card debt. We know from our research that many want to pay down their debt but struggle to get started. That's where Tally comes in," said Jason Huynh, VP of Credit, Analytics & Operations at Tally. "Our system combines financial automation with a low-interest line of credit to give people the help they need to get on track to pay off their credit card debt for good. We're thrilled that our partnership with Even will allow Tally to help even more people."
The launch of Tally on the Even platform enables consumers to get matched with Tally's custom, low-interest line of credit accounts of up to $25,000 in just a few minutes. After getting matched, eligible consumers complete the process through the Tally app. There are no out-of-pocket costs.
Tally is the latest partner to join the Even marketplace, a growing network of over 400 financial services partners and 500 channel partners covering a breadth of financial services including loans, credit cards, mortgages, savings, and insurance products. Even's marketplace technology enables any company to add financial products to its business, with full compliance and security, at scale.
About Even Financial
Even digitally connects and matches consumers with real-time, personalized financial product recommendations from banks, insurance carriers, and fintech companies on mobile apps, websites, and other digital touchpoints through its marketplace technology. Even's infrastructure leverages machine learning and advanced data science to solve a significant pain point in financial services customer acquisition, seamlessly bridging financial services providers (such as SoFi) and channel partners (such as TransUnion) via its industry-leading API and embedded finance marketplaces. Even enables any company to add financial products to its business, with full compliance and security at scale. Even was named one of "America's Best Startup Employers'' by Forbes for 2021 and was named to the 2021 Deloitte Technology Fast 500, which recognizes the fastest growing tech companies in the world. Learn more at www.evenfinancial.com.
About Tally
Tally is a consumer financial tech company pioneering full-service financial automation to help people save money, pay down their debt and reach their goals sooner. Founded in 2015, the company built the first fully automated debt manager to help put billions of dollars back in people's pockets. In 2021, Tally was named to Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies list and to Quartz's Best Companies for Remote Workers. Previously, Tally made Forbes' Next Billion Dollar Startup list, Forbes' Fintech 50 list, and the app won Real Simple's Smart Money award. Learn more at meettally.com.
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Even
Even Financial’s Embedded Finance Marketplaces Surpass $5 Billion in Credit Facilitated
NEW YORK, NY, April 19, 2022 -- Even Financial (“Even”), the category-leading embedded finance marketplace and independent subsidiary of MoneyLion, Inc. (NYSE: ML), has announced it has now facilitated over $5 billion in consumer credit, as of March 2022. Leveraging machine learning and advanced data science, Even solves a significant pain point in financial services customer acquisition by seamlessly bridging financial service providers and channel partners via its industry-leading API and embedded finance marketplaces.
“Surpassing $5 billion in consumer credit facilitated through our marketplace is an enormous achievement for Even as we continue to help build the future of finance technology,” said Phill Rosen, Founder and Chief Executive Officer. “Access to credit has long been a challenge for many hard-working Americans, and we are dedicated to alleviating this issue by providing consumers personalized financial services offers that meet their needs, when they need it most. Reaching the $5 billion milestone reaffirms that our mission is driving significant value for both consumers and our partners."
Even has grown its embedded finance marketplace offerings beyond loans to cover a breadth of additional financial services including credit cards, mortgages, savings, and insurance products. Within loans, Even offers the largest network of premium, connected loan providers - across a wide array of products including unsecured personal loans, secured personal loans, line of credit, student loan refinancing, and auto loan refinancing. Leading financial services providers, such as LendingClub and SoFi, partner with Even to reach qualified consumers searching for loans, benefiting from Even’s unparalleled network and native integrations.
The company has continued its rapid growth trajectory in 2022, growing its network to include over 400 financial services partners and 500 channel partners. Even's marketplace technology enables any company to add financial products to its business, with full compliance and security at scale. Earlier this year, Even announced the close of its acquisition by MoneyLion, the award-winning digital financial platform, which will continue to advance their combined efforts of providing financial access and advice to hard working Americans.
About Even Financial
Even digitally connects and matches consumers with real-time, personalized financial product recommendations from banks, insurance carriers, and fintech companies on mobile apps, websites, and other digital touchpoints through its marketplace technology. Even's infrastructure leverages machine learning and advanced data science to solve a significant pain point in financial services customer acquisition, seamlessly bridging financial services providers (such as SoFi) and channel partners (such as TransUnion) via its industry-leading API and embedded finance marketplaces. Even enables any company to add financial products to its business, with full compliance and security at scale. Even was named one of "America's Best Startup Employers'' by Forbes for 2022 and was named to the 2021 Deloitte Technology Fast 500, which recognizes the fastest growing tech companies in the world. Learn more at evenfinancial.com.
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