How I Got Greedy and Lost My Shirt with Peer To Peer Lending Loans (2024)

1 Shares

I completely messed up investing in peer-to-peer loans through Lending Club because I was greedy. Jim Cramer is famous for saying that both bulls and bears can make money, but pigs get slaughtered.

What he means is that it is one thing to make money or make a living with your investments. But, to try and make a killing on them, you will often be crushed by those very same investments.

I’m ashamed that I got greedy with my Lending Clubinvestments, tried to push the envelope, and got burnt. Keep reading to see what happened and what I’m doing now with the new loans I’m investing in through Lending Club.

Peer To Peer Loans And Lending Is Awesome

I don’t want you to get the wrong idea from this article. I love peer to peer lending, and I’m a huge fan of Lending Club.

I think that Lending Club is the best peer to peer loans lending club investment company on the market today. If you are not familiar with peer to peer lending, it is where you get to be the bank.

Peer to peer loansallows you to safely and securely lend money as an investor directly to a borrower as an investor. Lending Club simply provides a safe, secure platform for the money transfer.

The benefit for an investor who lends money to a borrower is that you receive a higher than average interest rate from other similar investments.

Since 2007, Lending Club has issued over 36,500 loans worth a total of over $382 million. While savings accounts and money market funds are earning less than 1% annual rate of return, Lending Club has averaged a 7.4% return for investors on their safest A rated loans alone. Borrowers receive great benefits from Lending Club by skipping the bank as well. They can receive a peer to peer lending loan with an interest rate as low as 6.78% APR.

Lending Club can also help borrowers qualify for a loan with lower credit scores and without collateral than a bank would typically finance (of course those interest rates are higher). For example, you can routinely find loans on Lending Club for borrowers who are looking to finance things such as their wedding, consolidate credit card bills, pay medical bills, or even start a new business.

How I Screwed Up My Lending Club Loans

When I started investing in peer to peer loans through Lending Club almost three years ago, I only wanted to invest in the riskiest of peer to peer loans. I wanted big rates of return on the riskiest borrowers. Lending Club’s E, F, and G rated loans have an average rate of return of 17.45%, 19.29%, and 20.72% respectively. But, as I stated earlier, I got greedy. And, I subsequently got slaughtered. I invested in the riskiest rate loans.

I loved to lend my money to people starting new business and not Lending Club’s bread and butter borrower who wants to consolidate debt at Lending Club’s current low borrowing rate than their credit cards were offering. Out of the 74 peer to peer loans that I invested in a whopping 12 went into default and were subsequently charged off.

How I Got Greedy and Lost My Shirt with Peer To Peer Lending Loans (1)

I lost my entire investment in those loans. Luckily, I was only investing $25 in each loan. So, I lost $300 of my investment. It completely wiped out most of my gains. I ended up earning only 1.16% annual rate of return for the past year.

My Lending Club Game Plan In The Future

One of the biggest takeaways that I want you to understand about peer to peer loansis that I haven’t given up on Lending Club or peer to peer lending. It wasn’t the system that went wrong. It was my greed to earn a consistent 20% annual rate of return. I wasn’t diversified. I only owned the riskiest E, F, and G rated loans.

Now, my plan for the future is to only invest in the safer A, B, and C rated loans. I plan on making my investments automatic and let Lending Club’s system pick the best loans for me. I’m done funding entrepreneurs’ dreams in this tough market. I’m going to stick to honest people with good credit scores who need to consolidate their debt.

Starting this month, I will keep you up-to-date monthly on my progress rebuilding my Lending Club portfolio into a safer and more consistent investment. My goal is to have an account balance that pays enough to fund new loans every month without making me having to add anymore principle to it, making it a truly passive investment.

Subscribe By Email

Like this article?, and we’ll send you a regular digest of our newest articles each week as well as exclusive giveaways, deals, and tips just for our email subscribers.

It is full of the answers to your most pressing money, investing, retirement, insurance, and other financial questions. And, it is all free! So, why wait?Click here to sign up now.

How I Got Greedy and Lost My Shirt with Peer To Peer Lending Loans (2024)

FAQs

Has anyone lost money in P2P lending? ›

“A P2P platform can help lenders recover money if a borrower defaults and can also take legal action against the defaulter. However, sometimes it may not yield any result. The investor might lose all of their investment in such a case.

What happens if you dont pay back a peer-to-peer loan? ›

If you don't repay a P2P loan, you'll typically see a significant negative impact on your credit score. You're also taking money from individual lenders, causing them to incur a financial loss.

Do you have to pay back peer-to-peer lending? ›

If you receive a loan, you might first need to pay an arrangement fee to the P2P platform. Then you pay back the loan, with interest, by making regular repayments for the duration of the loan agreement.

What is the average return on peer-to-peer lending? ›

Typical returns for P2P investors per year average at about 5 percent to 9 percent while some investors see 10 percent or more returns.

How could you lose money using P2P? ›

The Risk in Using P2P Payment Apps

Once the money is sent, it's gone. When you send money outside of your financial institution through a peer-to-peer app, it is under no obligation to refund your lost money. Instead, you are bound to the user agreement terms within the P2P app utilized for the transaction.

What is the highest return on P2P? ›

High Returns: With P2P lending, investor can lend capital to borrowers and earn fixed returns on a mutually negotiated interest rate - as high as 36% and for a duration ranging from 12 months to 36 months and create a seamless passive income with regular monthly repayments.

What are the red flags for P2P? ›

Inconsistent Stories: If the reason for the transaction keeps changing or doesn't seem to add up, take that as a warning sign. Unusual Payment Requests: If someone asks for payment in the form of gift cards or through multiple small transactions, it's a significant red flag.

Is it a crime to not pay back a personal loan? ›

While debt collectors can no longer have you jailed or threaten to have you arrested for not paying your debts, there are a few instances in which you can be incarcerated with debt as the underlying cause. For example, a debt collector can sue you and, if you fail to comply with court orders, you could get jail time.

What are three consequences when you don't pay your loan? ›

You may not see much effect until you're at least 30 days late and reported as delinquent. Letting your account move from delinquency into default (usually 90 to 120 days) can lead to collection calls, the potential for lawsuits, a lien on your home, or garnishment of your wages.

What is the minimum credit score for peer-to-peer lending? ›

In general, P2P lenders tend to look for credit scores of around at least 600. However, each lender has its own requirements. Collateral: If you have less-than-perfect credit, some personal loan lenders offer secured loans. You use property, such as a car, as collateral for the loan.

Is peer-to-peer lending a good idea? ›

P2P lending can be riskier than traditional lending. That's because there's a higher risk of default, so lenders are more likely to lose money. In exchange for the additional risk, however, P2P lenders usually charge a higher interest rate, which can help offset the risk of losing money.

Is peer-to-peer lending illegal? ›

Because, unlike depositors in banks, peer-to-peer lenders can choose themselves whether to lend their money to safer borrowers with lower interest rates or to riskier borrowers with higher returns, in the US peer-to-peer lending is treated legally as investment and the repayment in case of borrower defaulting is not ...

What is the average P2P transaction? ›

The average transaction value on fintech P2P products in the US is around $35, in the range of a P2P cash transaction. Meanwhile, the daily and weekly limits imposed by fintech P2P solutions are substantially lower than the limits on bank-offered solutions (for example, $3,000 per week versus $3,000 per transaction).

How big is peer-to-peer lending? ›

Global Peer to Peer Lending Market Insights

Global Peer to Peer Lending Market size was valued at USD 147.05 billion in 2022 and is poised to grow from USD 190.43 billion in 2023 to USD 1506.24 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 29.5 % during the forecast period (2024-2031).

Is a 7% return realistic? ›

While quite a few personal finance pundits have suggested that a stock investor can expect a 12% annual return, when you incorporate the impact of volatility and inflation, 7% is a more accurate historical estimate for an aggressive investor (someone primarily invested in stocks), and 5% would be more appropriate for ...

Is P2P lending high risk? ›

The main peer-to-peer lending risks are: Yourself (psychological risk). Not enough diversification (concentration risk). Losing money due to bad debts (credit risk).

How can you avoid losing money on P2P? ›

Re-lend your money consistently, including before and after a recession. Select lower-risk borrowers. Lend to different types of borrowers through multiple P2P lending accounts. Use other types of investments and savings products as well.

Why did peer-to-peer lending fail? ›

“At its core P2P lending poses a higher risk than more traditional investments. The system turns individuals into either secured or unsecured lenders to organisations or individuals that have found it hard to meet banks' strict credit control requirements.

Why did P2P lending fail in China? ›

Many P2P platforms lacked professional risk management and sufficiently large reserve funds. Therefore, when there was a shortage of new investors or economic downturns, a small number of borrower default cases could quickly deplete the reserve funds and cause panic among lenders.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Zonia Mosciski DO

Last Updated:

Views: 5518

Rating: 4 / 5 (51 voted)

Reviews: 90% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Zonia Mosciski DO

Birthday: 1996-05-16

Address: Suite 228 919 Deana Ford, Lake Meridithberg, NE 60017-4257

Phone: +2613987384138

Job: Chief Retail Officer

Hobby: Tai chi, Dowsing, Poi, Letterboxing, Watching movies, Video gaming, Singing

Introduction: My name is Zonia Mosciski DO, I am a enchanting, joyous, lovely, successful, hilarious, tender, outstanding person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.