Charlie Don't Surf Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 I signed up to Funding Circle a couple of months back and have lent a bit of money out with them. I started on autobid but didn't really trust it. Picking loans by hand is very time consuming and it seems to me that the rates offered to lenders has declined markedly even since I signed up. Not only should the rates reflect the risk of default but there is also the risk on a 60 month loan that base rates are likely to be somewhat higher. That doesn't seem to be the case. Any comments? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renting til I die Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 I signed up to Funding Circle a couple of months back and have lent a bit of money out with them. I started on autobid but didn't really trust it. Picking loans by hand is very time consuming and it seems to me that the rates offered to lenders has declined markedly even since I signed up. Not only should the rates reflect the risk of default but there is also the risk on a 60 month loan that base rates are likely to be somewhat higher. That doesn't seem to be the case. Any comments? I looked at funding circle a while ago and didn't feel it was worth the risk for the extra 0.5% or so I would have got. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porca misèria Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 What rates do you get from Funding Circle nowadays? Good if you like to pick-and-choose what your money supports. Draw up a list of enterprises you approve of, and enterprises you expect to succeed and make you a good return. Invest in businesses that feature in both lists. Perhaps set aside a few quid for businesses that truly inspire you but are definite high risk. Also look for investments that qualify for tax breaks. But that works better with equity than debt, unless you invest through a fund. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver surfer Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 I've got some money lent out with Zopa on three year and five year loans. I think the current five year loan rate is about 4.6% and the three year a bit less. I'm not sure why I still do it as Natwest bonds yield a touch over 5% and from memory have about five years to maturity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ologhai Jones Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 I put a bit into FC about six months ago. I've been exclusively selecting companies to lend to. It takes about five minutes of my time every weekday morning, which (for the little amount I'm playing with) isn't worth the effort... not if I was taking it particularly seriously. I've grossed around 4.8% so far, but that's slightly misleading because all of the money I've put in isn't loaned out all of the time. Indeed, initially, only a small portion of the money was lent out for quite a while. In the same period (using their automatic system only), Zopa has generated no more than about 3.44% (gross). I currently have no plans to use either of these any more extensively than I have already, but that may be because I've been turning my attention more to stocks lately to try to achieve something better than typical deposit accounts or 1-year fixed term accounts or what have you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Barlow Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 I signed up to Funding Circle a couple of months back and have lent a bit of money out with them. I started on autobid but didn't really trust it. Picking loans by hand is very time consuming and it seems to me that the rates offered to lenders has declined markedly even since I signed up. Not only should the rates reflect the risk of default but there is also the risk on a 60 month loan that base rates are likely to be somewhat higher. That doesn't seem to be the case. Any comments? I have 50K in Funding Circle which is earning a healthy 6.2% after bad debts and fees. I also manage about 4K for my Dad and the return is about 5.9% net. I like FS as I can scrutinise each application and filter out non productive stuff like BTL and Estate Agents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porca misèria Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 I have 50K in Funding Circle which is earning a healthy 6.2% after bad debts and fees. I also manage about 4K for my Dad and the return is about 5.9% net. I like FS as I can scrutinise each application and filter out non productive stuff like BTL and Estate Agents. How many of those investments qualify for EIS/SEIS tax breaks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Barlow Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 How many of those investments qualify for EIS/SEIS tax breaks? They don't. What I like about FS is the ability to spread risk - as little as 20 quid per investment. Also regular cash flow back - on a daily basis which I basically use for spending money when I'm back in the UK. There is talk of P2P qualifying for the ISA but that doesn't affect me as I'm 'offshore' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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