Compare Lenders for Credit Bad Loans

We list fourteen licensed personal loan lenders that publish terms or are widely documented, then show each one's advertised loan amounts, APR range and fees so you can compare real numbers instead of marketing claims.

Every figure below comes from the lender's own disclosures or from repeated reporting by major personal finance publishers, cross-checked across at least two sources. Where sources disagree, we show the most conservative range and say so. We do not rank lenders by commission, we do not show star ratings we cannot verify, and nothing on this page is an offer of credit.

Ranges change often. A lender can raise its APR floor, drop a state or change its origination fee with no notice, so treat this page as a starting map and confirm the current terms on the lender's own site before you apply. The only numbers that bind a lender are the ones printed in your Truth in Lending disclosure, and that holds for Credit Bad Loans from any source.

What we left out on purpose

We did not include lenders that hide their APR until after a hard credit pull, lenders that require upfront fees, or apps that charge monthly memberships for small advances. Those products can cost far more than they appear, and they are the ones most often confused with a real personal loan.

Each note below covers what the lender is known for, who it tends to fit and the one detail most borrowers miss, so you can match a lender to your situation instead of applying everywhere.

1st Franklin Financial

A branch-based consumer finance company with more than 360 offices across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Loans go up to $15,000 at fixed rates, and some amounts or credit profiles require collateral such as a vehicle. You can start online, but the local branch makes the final decision. It does not publish an APR range, so ask for the full disclosure before you sign. A fit if you live in its footprint and prefer a person across the desk.

Mariner Finance

Offers secured and unsecured personal loans from $1,000 to $25,000, with published APRs of roughly 16% to 35.99% depending on the source and state. Online applications cover about $1,500 to $14,000; smaller or larger amounts usually mean a branch visit. Mariner accepts co-signers, which can help a borrower with a thin file. Some reviewers report origination fees in certain states, so check the amount financed line.

LendingPoint

An online lender aimed at fair credit, with personal loans from $1,000 to $36,500 and APRs from 7.99% to 35.99%. Reviewers report a minimum score around 600 to 640 and an income floor near $35,000, plus state minimum loan amounts in places like Georgia. Origination fees can reach about 10%, deducted from the deposit, so borrow enough to cover the fee only if you truly need the full sum.

Security Finance

A traditional installment lender with branches in roughly 11 Southern and Midwestern states. Typical amounts run from a few hundred dollars to about $2,600, repaid in equal whole-dollar payments over about 6 to 18 months, with no balloon payment and no prepayment penalty. Rates follow each state's consumer finance rules and can be well above 36%. Expect to finish the process in a branch.

Reprise Financial

Makes personal loans of $2,500 to $25,000 at 9.99% to 36% APR over 36 to 60 months, with secured and unsecured options. Georgia and New Mexico have higher minimums. Origination fees run up to about 6%, and funding is often the next business day. Reprise does not lend to self-employed borrowers in most reporting, which matters if your income is gig or contract work.

Upstart

An online platform that routes loans to partner banks and credit unions. Amounts run from $1,000 to $75,000 with APRs from about 6.2% to 35.99%, and the model weighs education and job history alongside credit, which can help younger borrowers with short histories. The catch is the origination fee of up to 12%, among the highest in this list.

Prosper

A marketplace lender with personal loans from $2,000 to $50,000 at 8.99% to 35.99% APR. Reported minimum scores range from 560 to 600, and Prosper allows joint applications, which can lower the rate for a pair of borrowers. Origination fees run about 1% to 9.99%. Loans are not offered in Iowa, North Dakota or West Virginia.

Lendmark Financial Services

A branch network lender that also takes online applications, with loans from about $500 to $25,000, terms of 12 to 72 months and a top APR near 35.99%. Vehicle-secured loans are available. Lendmark does not publish a starting APR, so prequalify and compare the disclosure against at least one online offer.

NetCredit

Online personal loans from $1,000 to $10,000 over 6 to 60 months, with APRs that start around 34% and reach 99.99% in most states, higher in a few. Some states carry an origination fee. NetCredit reports to credit bureaus and approves many files that mainstream lenders decline, but the cost is steep: at the top of its range a modest balance can cost more in interest than the amount borrowed.

Achieve

Loans from $5,000 to $50,000 at 6.25% to 35.99% APR, built around debt consolidation with direct payment to creditors. Achieve publishes a 560 minimum score, rising to 660 for loans of $35,000 or more, and charges origination fees of about 1.99% to 9.99%. Not a fit for small emergencies because of the $5,000 floor.

Best Egg

Loans from $2,000 to $50,000 at 6.99% to 35.99% APR over 36 to 60 months, with origination fees of 0.99% to 9.99%. Reported minimum scores sit around 600 to 640, and the lowest rates go to applicants with scores near 700 and high income. Not offered in Iowa, Vermont, West Virginia or Washington, D.C.

Happy Money

Offers one product, a personal loan to pay off credit card balances, through partner lenders. Its published range is $5,000 to $50,000 at 8.95% to 35.99% APR, with terms of 24 to 84 months and origination fees of 2% to 12%. Useful only if credit cards are the debt you want gone.

OneMain Financial

A large branch and online lender with personal loans from $1,500 to about $30,000, APRs of 11.99% to 35.99% and terms of 24 to 60 months. Secured loans backed by a vehicle can lower the rate. Origination fees are a flat $25 to $500 or 1% to 10%, depending on the state. Optional add-on products are sold at closing; decline any you did not ask for.

OppLoans

Online installment loans from $500 to $5,000 through bank partners, repaid over 9 to 18 months, with no origination or late fees but APRs of roughly 99% to 195%. OppLoans reports to all three bureaus. It is built as an alternative for people who would otherwise turn to payday loans online lenders, and it is still very expensive credit.

Compare personal loan offers on APR, total of payments and the amount you actually receive after fees, using the same loan amount and term, because a lower monthly payment can hide a much higher total cost.

Lay the two Truth in Lending disclosures next to each other and read four lines: amount financed, finance charge, APR and total of payments. The amount financed tells you what lands in your account after any origination fee. The total of payments is the full cost of the loan, and it is the single best number for an apples-to-apples choice.

Watch the term. A $3,000 loan at 29.99% over 36 months costs roughly $127 a month and about $1,580 in interest. Stretch it to 48 months and the payment falls near $108, but interest climbs above $2,180. If the shorter payment fits your budget, it almost always wins.

Prequalify where you can. Most of the online lenders above offer a soft-pull rate check that does not affect your score, so you can see real numbers from two or three of them in an afternoon. Submit a full application, with its hard pull, only to the one you intend to accept. Our personal loan calculator shows how term and APR change the total.

Match the lender to your credit band and the size of the need, since a small emergency, a mid-size repair and a card payoff each point to a different short list of lenders.

• Scores below 580 and a small need: branch lenders such as 1st Franklin, Security Finance, Lendmark or OneMain often look at income and stability over score. Ask about secured options.
• Scores around 580 to 640: Mariner, LendingPoint, Reprise and Prosper publish floors in this zone. Compare origination fees, because they vary widely.
• Short credit history but steady income: Upstart's model weighs job and education, and a co-signer at Mariner or a joint application at Prosper can help.
• Paying off credit cards: Achieve and Happy Money pay creditors directly, and Best Egg offers the same option on consolidation loans.
• Declined everywhere else: NetCredit and OppLoans approve thinner files, but at rates that can double the cost. Try a credit union first.

If you would rather send one request and see which lenders in our network respond, our how it works page explains that path. Credit Bad Loans requests are free to submit and you are never obliged to accept an offer, so comparing one network response against the personal loan offers above costs nothing.

Any lender that asks for a fee before funding, promises approval without reviewing anything, or refuses to show an APR in writing should be crossed off the list immediately, whatever its ads say.

Every personal loan lender above is licensed in the states it serves or works through a chartered bank partner, and each one gives you a written disclosure before you sign. Copycat sites sometimes borrow a real lender's name or logo, so type the address yourself rather than clicking a text or social media link. Look for a license number or partner bank name in the site footer, a physical address, and a phone line that reaches a person.

Be wary of anyone promising a personal loan with no review of any kind from a mainstream lender. Real installment lenders review something, whether a bureau report, bank data or income, and a seller claiming otherwise is usually a broker or a scam. Our guide to loans from actual lenders shows how to confirm who is really making the loan.