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LoanBuilder

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7.4

Overall Score

Author: Kaitlyn Short

LAST UPDATED: August 27th, 2024

LoanBuilder, A PayPal Service, is a business loan company serviced by WebBank, which was established to provide small businesses quick access to funding. LoanBuilder's mission is to help businesses design loans that fit their unique needs and get approved based on how they manage their business.

Prospective borrowers with or without a PayPal Business Account can apply for a LoanBuilder loan. Upon application and eligibility approval, all that is required is a business checking account with which to receive the funds and deduct a weekly payment. PayPal offers small business loan options to customers in all 50 states and Washington D.C. 

Keep reading for our expert LoanBuilder review or jump straight to LoanBuilder reviews from customers

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The Good

  • Reasonable Fixed Fee
  • Simple Application Process
  • No Hit to Personal Credit
  • Wide Range of Loan Amounts
  • Repayment Term Options
  • Automatic Payments
  • LoanBuilder Reviews 

Reasonable Fixed Fee 

LoanBuilder, A PayPal Service has a one-time, fixed-fee cost that is designed to work with businesses. There is no origination fee, prepayment fee, stacking fee, or other hidden fees.

On the LoanBuilder website, borrowers can choose their amount on the company's Loan Configurator and view their repayment in total terms as well as weekly payments. This process will not affect the borrower's personal credit.

This is in line with the Working Capital PayPal business loan: it charges only a fixed percentage fee of PayPal sales and no other fees associated with the loan. 

Simple Application Process

In order to determine eligibility for LoanBuilder's small business loans, business owners simply need to fill out a 5- to 10-minute questionnaire online or contact one of LoanBuilder's Business Funding Experts by phone. Once the questionnaire is complete, estimated loan terms can be customized by adjusting the loan amount and duration to compare the costs of financing. After applicants have selected their desired terms and finished the loan application, they will be emailed and prompted to electronically sign the contract if approved.

If approved, the loan funds are transferred by the lender directly into the business's bank account. Funding can be as fast as the next business day if documents are in and the loan is approved by 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday (excluding bank holidays), making the process quick and convenient for borrowers.

This process is much faster than that of a traditional bank loan, saving prospective borrowers time. 

No Hit to Personal Credit

Completing the questionnaire will assess the applicant's eligibility, allow them to review estimated offers for business loans if eligible, and will not impact their credit score.

However, should a borrower decide to complete the loan application process, credit checks and other public records checks will be performed, which may impact their credit score.

Wide Range of Loan Amounts

With LoanBuilder, loan amounts range from $5,000 to $500,000, depending on your business's eligibility.

One of the lender's Business Funding Experts can assess your business's eligibility within minutes, and if eligible, review with you your estimated loan terms and work with you to help you build the right loan for your unique business and situation.

Repayment Term Options

Because LoanBuilder wants borrowers to build a loan that works for their business, the company offers short-term loans with repayment options ranging from 13 to 52 weeks.

Business owners who need lower payments are encouraged to select a longer loan term, while those who want a lower fixed fee are advised to select a shorter loan term.

Automatic Payments

To make things simple and hassle-free for business owners, weekly payments for LoanBuilder loans are withdrawn from the business's bank account automatically. Borrowers have the ability to provide account information and select their preferred payment day when they sign the contract.

LoanBuilder uses a weekly payment structure. Monthly payments do not appear to be an option.

LoanBuilder Reviews

The majority of LoanBuilder reviews are positive and highlight an exceptional lending experience, satisfactory rates, and professional and friendly customer service. Overall, the customer experience notes that LoanBuilder is a trustworthy company with competitive small business loans. You can search for certain themes within the LoanBuilder reviews repository below. 

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The Bad

  • Eligibility Requirements
  • Personal Guarantee Necessary
  • Prepayment Stipulations
  • Excluded Industries
  • No Online Chat

Eligibility Requirements

With LoanBuilder, a borrower's eligibility and loan offer are based on an overall assessment of their business's health including cash flow, time in business, and credit history. The requirements are stricter than those of some other lenders. 

LoanBuilder evaluates the credit history of the business owner and the business to determine approvability, the loan amount, and pricing. Minimally, a company must have been in business for at least 9 months, generate at least $42,000 in total annual revenue, not have any active bankruptcies, and be located within the 50 United States or Washington D.C.

The business owner applying for the loan must have a FICO credit score of at least 550. The better the credit report, the more favorable the interest rate. 

Personal Guarantee Necessary

As is common with many lenders, LoanBuilder requires a personal guarantee, which is a signed promise to pay back the loan if the business defaults and puts all of the business owner's personal assets on the line that aren't protected by law from creditors, in order to provide a business loan. A personal guarantee is different from collateral in that collateral is a specific asset or assets that the business owner pledges as security for a loan if the business defaults.

Prepayment Stipulations

A business loan from LoanBuilder can be paid off at any time, but the full fee based on the original term of the loan is applied and is due at the time of the payoff. While this is preferable to also paying a prepayment fee, it functions similarly. There are other lenders out there that do not have such restrictions on prepayment. 

Excluded Industries 

LoanBuilder provides short-term financing to businesses in more than 500 different industries. However, business loans are not available through LoanBuilder to businesses in the following industries:

  • Agents and managers for artists, athletes, entertainers, and other public figures
  • Any businesses in public administration
  • Attorneys
  • Business and professional associations
  • Civic and social organizations
  • Collection agencies
  • Credit bureaus
  • Elementary and secondary schools and junior colleges
  • Environmental, conservation, and wildlife organizations
  • Financial services
  • Gambling and related businesses
  • Grant making foundations
  • Gun stores
  • Holding companies and management companies (without subsidiaries included)
  • Human rights organizationsIndependent artists, writers, and performers
  • Labor and political organizations
  • Manufactured (mobile) home dealers
  • New and used automobile, ATV, RV, personal watercraft, boat, and motorcycle dealers
  • Non-profit organizations
  • Religious organizations
  • Voluntary health organizations

No Online Chat

If potential, current, or past borrowers want to know more or have questions for LoanBuilder, they will need to contact the lender over the phone or through email, as there is no live chat feature on the company's website.

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The Bottom Line

If you're in the market for a small business loan and are considering an alternative to a bank loan, PayPal LoanBuilder is a solid option. The company offers single fixed fee pricing, a wide range of loan amounts, and a variety of short-term loan repayment terms to business owners nationwide. The lender does not charge an origination fee, prepayment fee, stacking fee, or any other hidden fees. Additionally, LoanBuilder's application process is simple and funding can be obtained as soon as the next business day.

The major drawback with a PayPal loan is the prepayment stipulation that the full interest fee based on the original term of the loan is applied and due at the time of payoff. 

If you think you may be able to pay off your loan early, a business lender that does not require the full amount of interest at payoff would be the better choice. Look for a loan that is amortized, meaning it has a set schedule and compounding interest which you pay off via installments. 

View Best Business Loan Lenders

*The lender transfers funds to your business's bank account as fast as the next business day if the lender has received the documents the lender asked for and approved the loan by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (excluding bank holidays).

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Star Rating

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4.2

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296 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

68%

4 grade

13%

3 grade

3%

2 grade

5%

1 grade

11%

Sentiment Criteria

Value

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Quality

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Service

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Diana Abrahamsen Sayville, NY

I applied for my first round off PPP on 3/15 because I was finally able to use my gross income. I was assured everything is correct and that the SBA has to approve my loan. I will receive funds within 10 business days. Well since then I had to call every 10 days to see what was going on. Apparently there was an error that they just corrected and will be resubmitting tomorrow. Ive been told this 3 times. Last week funds have run out and I still was not approved. How this could happen is beyond me, and I still haven't been able to speak with a supervisor on how this could have happened. This mistake just crushed my business and apologies won't undo the wrong this company has caused my business or my family.

4 years ago

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Angie Bel Air, MD

I used loan builder via PayPal to apply for a PPP SBA loan. This has been the WORST experience a small business owner could of had in a time when funds are desperately needed to keep my small business up and running. It has been OVER a month and nothing! No communication, no status update, and VERY poor customer service when calling in. You can not speak to the actually person working your case. PayPal and Loan builder have put me in a really bad bind by trusting them in receiving a PPP SBA loan! They refuse to give me any updates other than we are working as fast as we can. Yet I have seen people apply as recently as this month who have been processed and finished using other companies in a matter of 10-14 days. Yet I'm still waiting for answers after over a month! I have everything done on my end, everything submitted and done, and I keep being told your loan is sitting in underwriting, how long can a loan sit in underwriting? This is ridiculous and I wish I had used another lender to try to obtain a PPP loan.

4 years ago

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Alison Encino, CA

I applied for the PPP loan through PayPal/LoanBuilder. Their application portal wasn't user friendly at all. If you had finished a section, you couldn't go back to change anything if you had input something wrong. When I submitted my application, they wrote my application is under review and they will let me know if they need any additional information/documents. 48 hours later, I get an email that the they have denied my request because my application was lacking information they requested. And very conveniently, there is no number to call to see what was missing and on their site, they write their decision is final. Yet, they still ran my credit!!!!

5 years ago

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John Hall Houston, TX

PayPal Loan Builder service is complete BS. They promise big loans and fast service and provide neither! I've run a successful small company for 17 years, with well over a million in sales annually for many years running ($1.4 million in 2019). Originally, PPLB said I qualified for up to $290,000 based on my sales (proven with bank statements). I applied for $50K, and was told I'd have an answer in just a couple days. I waited and waited and then, over a week later (allegedly waiting for underwriters!), they offered a loan of just $5K, less than 2% of the original $290,000! That's not even worth the ding on my credit report. It's nothing, peanuts! $5000 won't cover even one week's worth of expenses. What a waste of time! Half of America is shut down due to Covid19, and PayPal doesn't care a whit. If you need a loan for your small business, look anywhere but there. PayPal Loan Builder is a BS service. They may be able to help you, but they won't. Instead, they'll just insult you after wasting your precious time!

5 years ago

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Jamee Desouza Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Worst experience I have ever had. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME. These positive reviews are DEFINITELY FAKE! This is the most unprofessional financial company I have EVER encountered. They violated my privacy by calling my bank on the line without my knowledge, they made up processes that were discriminatory and would not provide me proof of their common practice policies. They were rude and made accusations and implied that I was being deceptive. They also asked me for outrageous documentation that violates my customers privacy rights and denied me being I would NOT ethically violate my customers. This company has no ETHICAL MORALS customer service is a disgrace.

6 years ago

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Not Happy South San Francisco, CA

Very disappointing experience was told they like to build relationships with business. After paying off two loans with a high interest rate I was told on the third that we could not secure another. Even though our sales and income was greater than when we applied for the other two loans that we paid back. If you need money for your business there are other more honest companies to deal with like your own bank. Its unfortunate I had to write this review and that I believed them when I started to work with them on our first loan almost two years ago. I only want to work with lenders that are honest and upfront and dont take advantage of small business!

7 years ago

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Cheated Customer Brooklyn, NY

Just plain creepy loan sharks. The end of the day, that's who you'll be dealing with if you take a loan like this. They don't care at all about customer service or anything. Once you sign the paperwork, don't expect to ever speak to a human being, or to have your emails answered. If anything goes wrong - like your funding delayed for no apparent reason, or they charge you a hidden fee - there's absolutely nothing you can do, because, after all, you signed the long paperwork which probably saves them anyway, and they know you have no recourse at all, so why should they talk to you now? Our horror story: On our second loan, we signed Thursday morning, we were supposed to receive the funds 4pm to our PayPal account. Never happened. Rep emails responds to our email just after 4pm that the funds will be in our account that evening (puh leeze - who transfers at night?) or the next morning. Friday morning comes, no money. I see that the application is dated now for Friday. Great. Probably means will be here 4pm, too late to start getting the money out of PayPal and into a real bank account and send out the wires quickly before the 5pm. Now it means Monday for us. Besides the fact that I'm paying good money every day for this cash - I'm not sure I'll still be able to use it Monday if my vendor cancels the order. Meanwhile, rep is AWOL now since he doesn't need anything further from us. So I call the main Loan Builder number, they refuse to do anything but transfer me to him, and I've been on hold now for 30 minutes. Stay far away. Close your business down before ruining it with people of this caliber.

7 years ago

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T. C. Ontario, CA

I was working with a Danielle F who contacted me for a renewal. They informed me of the $50K renewal without documents required and asked if I wanted to apply for higher amount. I agreed to go forward and they require bank account documents which was provided. Due to them wanting to call our vendors, we decided not to go forward with the larger amount and going back to $50K renewal without documents. Danielle asked me to simply filled out 8821 form which I've completed. At the end, they denied our application due to the extra documents that I provided earlier. I'm upset as our company is on path to highest revenue of the year. If they were going to review all documents, they should also review financial documents such as income statement and balance sheet. Be aware of Swift when they tell you that they don't need documents, when they will look at everything that they send you. False promise and advertisement.

7 years ago

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Thankachan Joseph

I believe this company discriminate against certain ethnic groups, first time they approved $30,000, paid it back all on time, this is about 4 years ago, since then every time I apply they reject, never says why, sends me the letter, I believe one of their employees entered some information about me which I believe derogatory. But won’t say it. I may need to involve consumer protection service agency to get to the bottom of it.

1 year ago

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Jacqui LaCount Santa Maria, CA

Before Loanbuilder, Swift/ Paypal was excellent sustomer service. They were there to help small businesses. Great customer service. Recently the new resprsentatives not so much. 5 loans in 5 years totalling over 475K with no late payments and perfect history with them and they now wont lend to small businesses. They tell you looks great and makes you jump thru hoops only to let you down with no loan.

4 years ago

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Ivy tran Gardena, CA

Loanbuilder always has problems in logging into their website, lots of system errors and hiccups. Also it's really crappy when it's never on the same page as keeping the documents that as uploaded. I applied for my PPP here and had to reset password, security question countless times in order to login. Their system will automatically wash off all your data and report: No viewable loan after the next day. Helpless and careless employees when you call. I only got two answers from them : "reset your passwords" and " I don't know, reapply!"

5 years ago

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Tammy Zender Akron, OH

My experience to date has been very disappointing and frustrating. I've had a loan application sitting in "underwriting" for nearly two-weeks with no response, no contact at all. I've emailed with no response and attempted to find a contact phone number with no luck. This is devastating to a small business such as ours because this loan is time sensitive and by the time they get around to approving it, the funds will be depleted. I put a lot of faith/trust in LoanBulder because of PayPal..., this not only reflects negatively upon LoanBuilder, but PayPal as well.

5 years ago

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Paul Morales Grand Prairie, TX

After receiving a loan of 50k and paying it back I decided to follow up with a second loan on another company I had launched using the same credit profile loan builder came back with a false credit reporting stating I had derogatory remarks on my credit and that I didn’t have enough income. This on the back end of a COVID-19 lockdown i feel that they made up false credit statements to turn away the loan. False promises and would not recommend them to anyone.

5 years ago

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Chad Yorkville, IL

I recieved a loan from loan builder in 2018, paid off in 2019. the placed a ucc filing on my business due to the amount of the loan which I completely understand. Although when the loan got paid off they never removed the filing and will not return any phone calls or emails. This has hurt me regarding getting other financial opportunities. I don't know that if they would give me a loan I would accept it due to no response.

5 years ago

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Jeffrey Goldman Ocala, FL

I took first loan for only half of what i was aproved for and a month later i decided to take more they said no pronblem cause i was approved for more.. when all donre they paid off first part of loan and interest and re wrote of the second part as new loan and recharged me full amount of intrest sao i ended up paying 4,000 more in interest what a rip off

7 years ago

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Nick Oklahoma City, OK

My contact lady was great, she said i was approved for $70k. I mentioned to her that i didnt need that much. So we went to a smaller loan. Then when it went to the underwriter she says. They asked for all the documents to pay off other debt. So you get all this stuff gather and they tell that their working on reviewing it. Its a merchant loan and you have weekly payments. If i would of borrowed the 35k weekly payment was almost $900 a week for 52 weeks. If your looking for a loan try a credit union. Total pay was 45k in 52 weeks

7 years ago

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James B Lancaster, NY

7 loans for over $650k and was ready for another one. They wouldn’t do it though nothing changed in our business or with credit. Their business model has evolved and soon with all the payment processing companies out there PayPal and its affiliated companies will be a thing of the past.

1 year ago

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Brad Richards Farmingdale, NY

I used loanbuilder for over $250k in loans with no issues until a few months ago. Loanbuilder changed their business model from helping small businesses with term loans to only providing MERCHANT ADVANCES. SCAMMERS, Fredie J, their relationship manager is a nightmare. STAY AWAY!!!!

1 year ago

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Steve Spry Englewood, CO

Thief... Very deceptive on their loans. Paperwork states that they charge "interest" NOT A FEE on the service. SO if you you pay it off early they charge you ALL the "interest" in the payoff and you NEVER get refunded any "interest" over paid. SCAM DO NOT EVER USE THIS COMPANY

5 years ago

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Mary ,

I did my application but realized I put in the wrong bank account number. There is no way to go back to amend any section. Now I'm stuck! I have attempted to call the 1-800-347-5626 but it rings and then goes to a strange busy signal. Now I don't know what to do.

5 years ago

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Ali Carrollton, TX

They are not real specially the guy name tnmi S they took all requirements and nobody responded all most 2 weeks they never pick our phone when we call 302 number to Tumi the fund specialists what they call waisted my time and mess the credit too so be carful

5 years ago

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Michael Kelly Seattle, WA

The funding was fine, on time. But this company sold my number for other lending companies to harass me ever since I applied. On top of that LoanBuilder left a UCC Lien Filing on my account even after my loan was paid off "in case I wanted another loan" and never notified me. The filing got in the way of the sale of my business!

5 years ago

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Reply from LoanBuilder

Michael,

Please contact us by phone so that we can assist - 1-800-347-5626.

Jamie
LoanBuilder, a PayPal Service

Jan. 24th, 2020

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Roy Smith Lake Cormorant, MS

I don’t like the payback terms and I was not informed that if I pay off early that the fee would be the same. This will be my last loan with loan builders. The reason I went with loan builders because you part of PayPal i have had a PayPal account for years. I’m very disappointed!!!!!

6 years ago

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simcha lefkowitz Staten Island, NY

no good customer service getting emails with no connection to the applying stating "your account is being closed" the reason: we didnt hear from you. when in reality was in constant contact with them. asked the rep about it he said he has no clue no one ever called me back

7 years ago

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Charles Long Center, TX

Beware of Swift Capital. They call you and tell your approved and then move you through loads of paperwork and then tell you don't qualify only months after successfully paying loan back. Reminds me of dishonest Home closing. I wanted to thank Matt Spann for wasting my companies time and efforts. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH SWIFT CAPITAL!!

9 years ago

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Ryan North Andover, MA

Reviews here are a joke, this is a horrible company with deceptive practices. They employ uneducated employees to push loans and waste time. Run away, use a bank, or anything but them

6 years ago

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Faye Bailey Oviedo, FL

High interest and aggressive payback, which is affecting my cash flow. I will NEVER do this again!

6 years ago

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Beth Los Angeles, CA

This company is a joke. They just wanted to collect all your informations. The representative was very unprofessional too. Don't waste your time and energy on them!

6 years ago

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John Franklin Lakes, NJ

I would not use them again, their terms are too stringent no flexibility

6 years ago

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mypenplease Las Vegas, NV

This was a poor experience to say the least, I cant recommend them in any capacity. They cant even respond to emails.

5 years ago

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Brandon Farner Burgettstown, PA

Not worth the fee and high payments don’t suggest it to anyone Brandon Farner farner Fire

7 years ago

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sam Waterford, CT

Kept sending me mailings, didn't reply to my request for removal, sent another mailing....

8 years ago

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helen Lynnwood, WA

they did not give all the info of the loan and the loan was a terrible loan

7 years ago