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SoFi Personal Loans Review

52 Customer Comments & Reviews - see all comments
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SoFi is the second largest marketplace lender around today, providing student loan refinancing, mortgages, and personal loans.

With over $14 billion in loans issued to date, SoFi offers some of the most attractive rates in the industry. They can do this given their nontraditional underwriting approach that takes into account merit and employment history, among other factors.

How is SoFi rated?

Breakdown

4.0/5
Flexibility
4.0/5
Interest Rates
4.5/5
Discounts & Fees
4.5/5
Customer Service and Reputation

Overall Rating: 4.2 / 5 (Excellent)

SoFi offers some of the largest personal loans in the industry, making it a practical financial tool that can be used for funding substantial financial needs.

SoFi focuses on delivering a great customer experience and even provides unemployment protection as an additional benefit. SoFi is an excellent choice for personal loans thanks to its high loan limit and competitive interest rates.

In order to take advantage of these benefits, clients must show a history of responsible lending and a strong credit rating. This may put SoFi out of reach for some borrowers, but for those with strong credit histories, it is an excellent option.

SoFi Loan Specifics

Loan Specifics - 4 / 5

SoFi allows customers to borrow between $5,000 and $100,000, and you can use the money for just about anything. The minimum loan amounts for residents of the state of California is $10,000.

SoFi borrowers often use their personal loan to pay off credit card debt, invest in home improvements, or make a major purchase. It takes approximately 2 minutes and a soft credit pull to check rates. However, if you decide to continue with the full application process, they will need to do a hard pull. Unique among online lenders, SoFi's Unemployment Protection program will actually assist you with job placement while also suspending payments for up to 12 months.

Loan Uses

Debt/Credit Card Consolidation
Buy Home
Major Purchase
Home Improvement
Medical Expenses
Wedding
Moving/Relocation
Vacation
Start Business
Education
Taxes
Loan Minimum
$5,000
Loan Maximum
$100,000
Term Length
2 - 7 years
Direct Deposit
Yes
Pay Creditors Directly
No
Disbursement Time
A few days
Credit Insurance
No
Unemployment Protection
Yes

Representative Loan Sample

This loan sample considers the APR, monthly payment, and total payments for a $30,000 personal loan with SoFi. The APR rate includes an Autopay Discount of .25%. Actual interest rates can be different than this example and depend on the term, your financial history, and several other factors.

All rates, member figures, estimates, terms, state availability, and loan samples are current at the time this article was written. All of the above may update in the future. For the most up-to-date information, visit SoFi.com.

SoFi Qualification

Qualifications & Flexibility - 4 / 5

SoFi requires a minimum 680 FICO score for personal loans. As personal loans go, SoFi is able to offer such competitive rates because they tend to have high qualification standards.

The company takes financial history, monthly income vs. expenses, and professional experience into account. Additionally, applicants must be US citizens, permanent residents or visa holders, be 18 years old, and reside in an eligible state.

Minimum Credit Score: Not all applicants who meet SoFi’s minimum credit score requirements are approved for a personal loan. In addition to meeting SoFi’s minimum eligibility criteria, applicants must also meet other credit and underwriting requirements to qualify.
Minimum FICO Score
680
Personal Income Considered
Yes
Verify Bank Account
Yes
U.S. Citizen
Yes

SoFi Cost of Loan

Costs, Interest Rates, Discounts & Fees - 4.8 / 5

SoFi has fixed rates from 8.99% to 23.43% APR (with all discounts). Equally as important, no fees are required.
APR Range
Fixed: 8.99% -29.99% APR (with all discounts)
Origination Fee
No Fees Required
Missed Payment Penalty
No

SoFi Reputation

Customer Service and Reputation - 5 / 5

SoFi has an A+ with the BBB and a high Trustpilot score of 9.2 with 95% positive reviews.

Although there are a majority of negative reviews with the BBB, the company has diligently and comprehensively addressed most of them, providing customers with specific avenues of resolution.

SoFi is regulated by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. SoFi personal loans had a total of 21 complaints with the CFPB, all of which were marked as responded to timely and closed with explanation.
Type of Institution
Other Financial Institution
Year Founded
2011
BBB Rating
A+
Number of BBB Positive Reviews
26
Number of BBB Negative Reviews
83
Trust Pilot Rating
9.2 out of 5
Consumer Financial Protection Board (CFPB) Complaints
21
Date Collected
2020-05-14

Disclaimer

The following payment example depicts the APR, monthly payment and total payments made during the life of a personal loan with a single disbursement. All loan rates below are shown with the autopay discount (0.25%) and direct deposit discount (0.25%). The monthly payment for a $30,000 loan with a 60-month term and a fixed annual percentage rate (APR) between 12.95% – 25.03% would be $681.82 – $881.07 in monthly payments, with total payments between $40,909.47  – $52,864.05. Your actual interest rate may be different than the loan interest rates in these examples and will be based on term of loan, your financial history, and other factors, including your cosigner’s (if any) financial history. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. See SoFi.com/eligibility for details. Fixed rates from 8.99% APR to 29.99% APR reflect the 0.25% autopay interest rate discount and a 0.25% direct deposit interest rate discount. SoFi rate ranges are current as of 02/09/24 and are subject to change without notice. Not all applicants qualify for the lowest rate. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. Your actual rate will be within the range of rates listed and will depend on the term you select, evaluation of your creditworthiness, income, and a variety of other factors. Loan amounts range from $5,000– $100,000. The APR is the cost of credit as a yearly rate and reflects both your interest rate and an origination fee of 0%-6%, which will be deducted from any loan proceeds you receive. Autopay: The SoFi 0.25% autopay interest rate reduction requires you to agree to make monthly principal and interest payments by an automatic monthly deduction from a savings or checking account. The benefit will discontinue and be lost for periods in which you do not pay by automatic deduction from a savings or checking account. Autopay is not required to receive a loan from SoFi. Direct Deposit Discount: To be eligible to potentially receive an additional (0.25%) interest rate reduction for setting up direct deposit with a SoFi Checking and Savings account offered by SoFi Bank, N.A. or eligible cash management account offered by SoFi Securities, LLC (“Direct Deposit Account”), you must have an open Direct Deposit Account within 30 days of the funding of your Loan. Once eligible, you will receive this discount during periods in which you have enabled payroll direct deposits of at least $1,000/month to a Direct Deposit Account in accordance with SoFi’s reasonable procedures and requirements to be determined at SoFi’s sole discretion. This discount will be lost during periods in which SoFi determines you have turned off direct deposits to your Direct Deposit Account. You are not required to enroll in direct deposits to receive a Loan.

Headquarters Address
234 First Street, San Francisco, CA, 94105
Homepage URL

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52 Customer Comments & Reviews

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C
Carlos Z
8/15/2016
I looked for many options to pay my high interest credit cards and was rejected for all expect the consolidation options that were not what I was looking for, until I found SoFi and they approved my application. Very good experience so far!!!!


M
Maurice P
8/3/2016
I have a 750 credit score. I was pre approved. I make good income. They told me I would have an answer in 3 days. I was told this for 2 weeks, then denied. They said they couldn't verify my identity. I had to pay and get the right birth certificate for them. They had my Drivers license. I've lived at the same place for 50 years. Its a Crock. I will now go to my bank. I didn't this because it was suppose to be quick.


G
Guia L
5/19/2016
Poor website performance. I tried to upload documents (on two different browsers) and the website kept faulting. Then I tried to remove my documents and the website would not allow me to. I gave up trying to apply for a loan and then 3 months later SoFi pulled my credit report and provided me with a letter denying my loan request. SoFi denied my loan request for a loan that I did not complete in my application process and I could not cancel the in-progress loan application. Poor performing company and poor performing process. I would recommend Lending Tree or Lending Club as they actually have customer service who will assist.


P
PC
4/1/2016
I recently attempted to obtain a personal loan from SoFi. After filling out the short application, they sent me a "pre-approval" and a guaranteed "low rate." They then asked me to send in very personal information such as my driver's license picture and birth certificate copy. After sending them current pay stubs and last year's W-2 they said that I was denied for the loan. I have a 756 FICO score and no late payments on my credit report including owning a home. I earn a very solid six figure income and was looking to consolidate some credit card debt to one simple payment. After denying my loan they sent me a link to one of their "affiliate" websites Avant where they would get me a... Read More


3/27/2016
Poor customer service.


Y
Young B
2/22/2016
Applied online and received pre-approval in couple of days for $100,000 personal loan. Uploaded all documentation as requested and received approval and "funding" status in two weeks. "Funding" status means that SoFi will ACH the funds to my account and they will let me know when they do so. Based on that I proceeded with what I had planned to use with the funds. However, after 10 days of "Funding" status, my file was declined without giving me an answer. For detailed reason for decline, I have to request and SoFi will release it in 30 days. What's the point of approval my loan application and giving me "Funding" status and then all of a sudden deny my application? SoFi is a joke. Thanks... Read More


T
Thomas P
2/5/2016
Big promise, but no delivery, and a big headache. I was quickly approved for good terms on a personal loan, but could never actually get the loan because their verification process is a total joke. The customer service agents, who I had to talk to over and over again, admitted that many people have trouble with their online verification system, and there is no alternative. There is supposed to be a list of security questions to answer in the verification process, but I could never get to that point, and after numerous tries over several weeks, and even submitting a new application, I used up my maximum attempts. I did everything they suggested, using different browsers, different... Read More


W
Will H
2/4/2016
Firstly, yes, the process can be a bit lengthy if SoFi needs additional documentation but they are authorizing high loan amounts and need to be cautious. Next, overall this was an excellent experience and I would recommend them to anyone. They are in no way fully FICO driven, rely on history and income more. The experience I had with everyone of their agents was exceptional. Friendly reps who truly helped. Their phones were always answered by two rings. Incredible!!!!


D
Deby R
1/26/2016
I applied for a loan with Sofi. After over a month of having to keep checking my account because no one contacted me when they needed more information, I was approved. They use an electronic signature process and use identity verification questions before signing. However, their questions are worded so that if you answer them correctly, or incorrectly, your responses are unacceptable either way. After four attempts, they told me my previously approved loan would be declined and I had to submit a new application. However, the interest rates had gone up significantly, and they wouldn't honor the original rate. So I won't be doing business with them.


D
DonaldB
12/14/2015
Loan for $50,000.00 was denied. Although I have a great history of making payments to my outstanding loans, my Expense to Income ratio shows that I am paying at least 55% of my income compared to my income. The reason given was that the underwriter determined that they couldn't be assured that I would use the funds that would be deposited to my bank account would be used to pay down my credit cards. I also indicated that I would pay an additional amount over and above the indicated monthly payment for a 7 year loan. I think this is a downfall for the underwriters which could easily make direct payments to the merchants and they would know where the funds went. This... Read More



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