Best Banks For Personal Loans | Best List

Personal loans can be handy for taking care of family expenditures like home improvement, vacation funds, wedding costs, and even the purchase of land to start a new building project.

The interest rates on personal loans are often lower when compared to credit cards. Therefore, it is a good option for debt consolidation for applicants with good credit scores.  

Personal loans are available from a variety of options, which include credit unions and traditional banks.

There are also a variety of online lending options available that borrowers can utilize for personal loans without having to visit a bank.

Also, many personal loans allow you to get the funds you apply for within a few days, which makes them easy and very convenient to use.

Borrowers no longer have to wait for weeks to get funds to take care of their personal needs.  

The best banks for personal loans are the ones that offer low-interest rates for borrowers with good credit grades, flexible repayment terms and loan amounts, and limited charges.

If you live in the United States, below are the best banks for personal loans in 2022 you need to know. 

List of Best Banks for Personal Loans

Here is the list of the best banks for personal loans.

  • Apple Bank 
  • Popular Community Bank 
  • Santander Bank 
  • US Bank 
  • PenFed   

#1. Apple Bank 

Apple bank is renowned for its unique kind of personal loan known as the SureCredit loan. To be able to access the SureCredit loan, you need to open an Apple Bank Savings account.

Your account serves as collateral for you and you may lose your saving if you are not able to pay back your loan amount.

Nonetheless, there are some benefits attached to SureCredit. One of them is that there is no application or annual fees attached to your loan.  

Also, Apple Bank will not need to verify your credit score to process and grant your loan request.

Though, the bank will still need to report your loan application to credit organizations.

Timely repayment of loan amounts helps to boost your credit score, which makes the SureCreit the best form of loan for people with financial deposits in the bank but who are poor in terms of credit score.  

Your loan amount can be as low as $500 and repayment terms can be as much as 72 months.

Once the bank approves your SureCredit loan, they will put some of the money in your savings account on hold.

You will not be able to withdraw the funds, however, you will still earn interest on the held funds.

As you continue to repay your loan amount, the held funds will continue to reduce. All funds will eventually be released once you finish making your payment.  

Read this: Best Alternatives to the Chase Bank Personal Loans

Popular Community Bank is among the best banks for personal loans and is also a great choice for those who wish to apply for secured or unsecured personal loans.

When applying for unsecured personal loans, you are not required to provide collateral.

However, your loan amount will be limited to only $50,000. For those that sign up for automatic loan deduction, the interest rate is as low as 0.25%.  

On the other hand, if you are applying for a secured loan from Popular Community Bank, you will be required to provide collateral.

For this kind of loan, you can access up to $100,000. Whether you are going for a secured or unsecured loan, both have flexible repayment terms.

Therefore, you can choose which loan term best fits your budget and pay at your terms.  

For those with poor credit scores, they can use the Credit Builder loan to improve their credit score.

Credit Builder loan offers more flexible terms than personal loans from traditional banks. However, the loan amount is limited to $10,000.  

#3. Santander Bank

Borrowers can access as much as $5,000 to $35,000 in loan amount from Santander bank at a payment term ranging from 24 to 60 months.

Santander banks are the top choice for many lenders because it provides lenders the opportunity to better customize their monthly payment. Besides, it also provides borrowers the option to pay off their loan amount early.   

You will also enjoy a bonus when you register for automatic payment from your Santander checking account. Santander personal loans do not request an origination fee or a closing cost.

Therefore, your payment is less over a long period. Again, when you apply for a loan from Santander banks, funds are usually discussed in less than a week.  

#4. US Bank

US Bank offers a competitive APR rate that competes directly with some of the best loan rates in the market.

At max, its personal APR cap is 16.49%, which is far less than those of other big banks like Citi Bank and Wells Fargo with an APR of 24% each.   

US Bank also offers a Simple emergency loan that is effective for short-term expenses. Emergency loans usually start from $100 and have a maximum amount of $1,000.

US Bank’s Simple loan attracts a fee of $6 monthly fee on every $100 you loan. A simple emergency loan is a great alternative for those that need urgent funds to take care of pressing needs.  

To make it easier to apply and access loans from US Bank, the Applicant must be an account holder with US Bank.

Non-account holders will have to go through the rigorous process of registration or face harsh credit score requirements to qualify for a loan.

It is important to know that if you do not have an account with US Bank before applying for a loan, you may only be allowed to borrow a maximum of $25,000.  

#5. PenFed

PenFed is a credit union that offers flexible personal loans. PenFed is a great choice for those looking for affordable loan terms with no origination fee or penalty.

When it comes to APR, PenFed offers one of the lowest rates than other credit unions. You can apply for a PenFed loan individually or with a co-borrower.

Non-members of PenFed can also apply for loans. However, they will have to become members if they accept the loan offer. 

Initially, PenFed membership was limited to military personnel, residents of certain areas, and members of some government agencies.

However, in 2019, PenFed revised its policies to make it easy for other members of the public to join.  

When applying for a PenFed membership as an individual who does not belong to any of the categories eligible of individuals, all you need to do is to select None of the Above on your membership application eligibility section and proceed to create your account and pay a membership fee of $5.

For PenFed members facing severe financial hardship, there is a Financial Hardship Centre that is available for assistance. 

 Local Lenders

Not all local lenders offer personal loans. However, there are a number of them that still do.

One of the benefits of applying for personal loans from a prominent national bank is the fact that it is easier to find out more about their lending processes online.  

Local lenders are often your best choice when applying for a personal loan. They often provide a more personalized offer when compared to large national banks. Local lenders are also often less strict than large national banks when it comes to loan policies.

Therefore, it is easier to get approved for a loan from local lenders even for those that were not successful with large national banks. They are also willing to provide more one-on-one assistance to clients with loan issues.

Many of them also have a streamlined lending process that is easy to understand.  

Also, you can check this: Top 15 No Credit Check Personal Loans of 2022

How to Improve Your Chances of Approval for a Personal Loan 

There are a few things you can do to increase your chances of approval for a personal loan. One of the best ways is to increase your credit score.

Offsetting your loan amount as at when due can be a great way to increase your credit score.

However, the process takes a longer time. Nonetheless, there are a few things you can do to increase your credit score faster. They include:  

Reduce the ratio of your credit utilization:

Credit utilization ratio refers to the ratio of the amount of money you are borrowing on your credit cards to the maximum amount of your credit card.

It is essential to settle your credit card balances quickly to improve the ratio of your credit utilization.  

Reduce your debt-to-income ratio:

You can reduce your debt-to-income ratio by increasing your income or offsetting your loan and credit card debts.

The lesser your debt to income balance, the easier it is to settle your monthly loan bills. A bank is more likely to approve your loan application when your debt-to-income ratio is low.  

Ensure that your reasons for applying for a loan are genuine.

While a lender can approve loans for different reasons, applying for the right reasons like consolidation of expensive credit card debt is more likely to receive approval than applying for loans to fund your vacation. Notwithstanding, the criteria for approval of a loan varies from one lender to the other.  

Personal Loans FAQs 

To apply for a personal loan, you must be at least 18 years and a United States citizen. Some lenders will also accept foreigners who possess a US permanent residency.  

Most bank lenders consider your credit history, credit score, annual income, debt-to-income, and the applicant’s assets. Others may also take into consideration your employment history, educational background, and your utility payment history to make a final decision.  

Yes. Using personal loans for any form of gambling or investing in gambling is strictly prohibited. You are also not allowed to apply for personal loans on behalf of others.

Some lenders also have more restrictions than others when it comes to personal loans. Find out what applies to a bank before proceeding to apply. 

While it is not impossible to obtain a personal loan without a steady source of income or employment, the process can be difficult.

While some lenders may likely approve your loan application, you will likely be getting it at a higher interest rate. 

Conclusion

Personal loans can be useful, especially when you need to take care of emergency expenditures.

While there are many loan options available today, many people still look to traditional lenders for personal loans.

some of the best banks for personal loans are those that offer loan flexibility, consumer satisfaction, and fast disbursement of funds.

If you are considering getting a personal loan next time, there are many banks that you can consider for the best deal.  

References

  • https://www.forbes.com/advisor/personal-loans/best-personal-loans/
  • https://money.com/best-personal-loans/ 
  •  My Bank Tracker – personal

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