Frequently asked questions.

No. LendingsTree is a comparison marketplace. We do not fund loans, make credit decisions, or determine your eligibility. We connect you with our network of partner lenders, and the lender you ultimately work with handles the application, underwriting, and funding. This is the same model used by sites like LendingTree, NerdWallet, and Credit Karma.

Going to one lender shows you one price. The marketplace shows you multiple prequalified offers from competing lenders, side-by-side. The spread between best and worst can be a few hundred to a few thousand dollars in total interest. The trade-off is that more lenders means more outreach by phone, email, or text. Most borrowers find the savings worth it.

No. LendingsTree.com is an independent information resource and loan comparison platform. We are not the official LendingTree website and are not affiliated with LendingTree, LLC. We operate as a separate marketplace with our own network of lender partners.

Partner lenders pay LendingsTree a referral fee when they connect with a borrower through the platform. The fee is paid by the lender regardless of whether you accept their offer. Competitive markets keep this honest — lenders know consumers see every competing offer, so they don't inflate rates to cover the referral cost.

No. The marketplace comparison uses a soft credit inquiry, which is invisible to other lenders and has zero impact on your credit score. A hard inquiry only occurs if you choose to formally apply with a specific lender after seeing their offer.

A soft inquiry is a credit check that doesn't appear on your credit report from other lenders' perspective. It doesn't affect your score. A hard inquiry happens when you formally apply for credit; it's recorded on your report and typically lowers your score by 3–10 points for a few months. The marketplace only uses a soft inquiry.

Less than you might think. FICO and VantageScore both treat multiple hard inquiries for the same type of loan (e.g., mortgage, auto) within a 14–45 day window as a single inquiry for scoring purposes. This is called "rate-shopping" and the scoring models account for it because they understand consumers compare.

Yes, for the soft credit check that powers the comparison. We use bank-level encryption (256-bit SSL) to protect your data in transit. Your SSN is not shared with lenders until you choose to formally apply with one.

Some lender partners specialize in fair and below-fair credit. The marketplace returns offers from lenders whose criteria match your profile — so if your credit is 580, you'll see offers from lenders who lend at 580+, not from prime-only lenders. If no lender returns an offer, you'll know immediately without burning a hard inquiry.

Personal loans ($1,000–$50,000), debt consolidation loans (same range, focused on paying off existing debt), mortgages (purchase and refi, $50,000–$3M+), home equity loans and HELOCs (typically $10,000–$500,000), auto loans (new, used, refi, $5,000–$100,000), and small business loans ($5,000–$5M depending on business profile).

Depends on the loan type and your individual profile. Personal loans typically max out at $50,000 in this marketplace. Mortgages can go to $3M+ for qualified borrowers. Business loans can reach $5M for established companies. Your actual maximum is determined by the lender based on credit, income, collateral (where applicable), and other factors.

Yes. Submit separate requests for each loan type you're considering. Each submission uses a soft inquiry, and soft inquiries don't accumulate against you. You could compare personal loan offers in the morning and auto refinance offers in the afternoon with no credit-score impact.

Depends on the loan type. Personal loans often fund within 24 hours of formal approval. Auto loans typically 1–7 days. Mortgages run 30–45 days because of appraisal and underwriting requirements. Business loans vary widely (1 day for some online lenders, 30–90 days for SBA loans). The marketplace itself doesn't fund the loan — the individual lender does.

Most prequalified offers in the marketplace are valid for 14 to 30 days. Mortgage rate locks are typically 30–60 days. You don't need to decide in five minutes — take your time, ask questions, compare to competing offers.

Most lenders allow cancellation before funding, though the hard credit inquiry remains on your report. After funding, most personal loans have a 3-business-day right of rescission under federal law. Check the specific lender's terms — and check the disclosures at signing.

The marketplace uses 256-bit SSL encryption for all data in transit. We share information with lender partners only when matching you to offers; your full Social Security number is only shared once you choose to formally apply with a specific lender. We do not sell your information to data brokers. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

Yes. As part of how the marketplace works, lender partners may contact you by phone, email, or text message to discuss your offer. Some borrowers find this useful (you can ask questions, negotiate); others find it overwhelming. If you don't want lender outreach, going to a single lender directly is always an option — but you give up the ability to compare.

Per our Privacy Policy, we retain information as long as necessary to provide services to you, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce agreements. You can request deletion of your information at any time by contacting [email protected].