Lender guides

Which lender is right for you?

There's no single best lender, only the best one for your situation. Here's an honest look at how the different types stack up. General information, not a rate table.

Major bank

The major banks

The big banks are where most people start, and for good reason. But they're not automatically the right fit. Here's an honest look at the trade-offs.

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Second-tier

Second-tier and regional lenders

Below the big four sits a whole tier of banks most people never think to ask about. Some of them are household names in their own right, and for the right borrower they can be a genuinely smart choice.

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Non-bank

Non-bank lenders

The name throws people. A non-bank lender is not a dodgy back-street operation, it is a regulated lender that simply funds loans differently to a bank. For some borrowers they are the difference between a yes and a no.

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Credit union

Credit unions and mutual banks

Credit unions and mutual banks are owned by their customers rather than by shareholders. It is a quiet difference, but it shapes how they price loans and treat the people who bank with them.

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Specialist

Specialist lenders

If a mainstream bank has said no, it does not always mean the answer is no. Specialist lenders exist for exactly the situations the big computers reject: self-employed income, a past credit hiccup, or a story that needs a human to read it.

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