Lending Expert - A Startup Profile

Lending Expert is a price comparison website founded by David Beard and based in the north of England.

With a passion for finding the right loan for the right person, customers can apply for £100 to £1 million with the option to use unsecured products or borrow using security such as their property or vehicle.

To date, the online price comparison has helped thousands of customers and generated a rating of 4.81 out of 5 on Reviews.io, based on 223 reviews.

Price comparison is big business in the UK. Companies act as introducers, providing up-to-date lists and tables of competitive lenders who offer all different types of loans, credit cards, bank accounts, mortgages and insurance. There are a handful of large price comparison websites in the UK with significant market share, including Money Supermarket, Go Compare and Compare The Market - and Lending Expert is making significant ground in this space.

“I set up Lending Expert in 2013 after working in financial services for years and seeing a gap in the market,” explains Beard.

“I wanted to create a website that put the consumer first, provide truly accurate price comparisons for everyday products and really help customers save money. Whether it is a mortgage, credit card or car loan, these are products that change lives for people - and by using proper comparisons, you can potentially save thousands of pounds. I wanted to make that difference.”

“Every lender and partner is fully vetted to ensure that they are licensed to trade, responsible and treat customers fairly,” he continues.

“Above all, I want to show mortgage lenders and loan providers that have a real appetite to lend and are actively approving customers. There is no point if the company top of the table is only accepting 5% of customers. We want people to use Lending Expert, get approved and ultimately find the product they were looking for.”

The website is completely free to use and in addition to loan comparison tables, they give customers an option to get a provisional loan offer, which is connected to their broker. This is also free of charge and will not impact the customer’s credit score.

Lending Expert has seen particular growth in the secured lending market in the last 6 months. This is where customers can borrow money secured against their home - and it is a popular option for those doing home renovations or looking to consolidate their debts into one more affordable loan.

“Secured loans and homeowner loans are back to funding at regular levels, which is really great to see. This time last year, a lot of lenders had paused altogether due to the pandemic and things were looking bleak.”

“This has been largely driven by the extended stamp duty holiday and the desire of UK homeowners to renovate and maximise their living space during the rest of the pandemic.”