Funding Circle Review

Easy to apply, helpful account manager who we could call with any questions, really quick and easy!

...

We will always use Funding Circle for our business finance requirements professional at the highest level Thank you Paige and your team for organising this

...

The loan application process was straightforward and got the approval in minutes. There was no traditional bureaucratic process to get the fund that our business needed. The staff was helpful and easily accessible. They accessed the financial requirements of the business by asking for some basic information about the business process and guided us accordingly. They were prompt in communication. Overall, it has been an excellent experience with Funding Circle.

...

Funding Circle have never failed to deliver and are always helpful and friendly. Their advice during these difficult times has been most helpful I have no hesitation in recommending their services.

...

Paige was very helpful with everything, Always a prompt and detailed response.

...

From start to finish very efficient very professional was dealt with in a very good manner highly recommended regards peter p &l glass ltd

...

Funding circle are a refreshing change from bank loans. We will definitely use them again. James was pleasant to deal with and we got the funding within 7 days. Thanks again

...

Excellent communication and very quick service

...

Great work from Kirsty, keep me informed all the way through the process, offered some great advice and ultimately got us the loan we needed. Would thoroughly recommend.

...

We took a small business loan with Funding Circle before and I had liked that they are very much set up with SME's in mind and are all about what the business needs, rather than you having to bend to fit their model. I applied for a loan and asked some questions, Scott Walker was appointed to assist me and came through the whole process as my direct contact. They explained what they needed from me, and the timescale, supplied a full breakdown of 4-5 different repayment options, and again immediately and clearly answered my questions. There is great flexibility , we can pay back early with no penalty, the rate was competitive and everything could be dealt with quickly online so we went ahead. I would certainly recommend them to clients .

...

Totally misleading. Lent money using this service and impossible to get it back again - 2 years after i closed my account they are still drip feeding my initial loan of thousands of pounds. Please ignore the 'shining' reviews and avoid like covid.

...

I found Mathew our contact at funding circle very helpful and prompt. A very effective service. Far better than Barclays

...

The application process was relatively straight forward to follow. Though there where a few things that I needed a bit of help with, but both the people who contacted me to from funding circle where able to help me resolve these issues quickly and efficiently. I have also been contacted about useful business resourced they provided too, so I am feeling very confident about our business future success with this level of support behind us.

...

Wow! James at Funding Circle was so helpful and efficient, we had a reply to our application with 2 days and funds in the bank with 4 days! Would recommend.

...

Great service! Happy with the service from Funding Circle and Joana. Very easy to go through the application process and funding came through promptly.

...

This is the first time I have used Funding Circle for business finance. Setting up a loan was a very simple and quick process and the couple of questions I had were expertly answered by Matthew my account manager. Starting the loan application to receiving the cleared funds took 3 working days. Should I need funds in the future I will be speaking to Funding Cirle first. Thanks very much.

...

Funding Circle were excellent to work with and made the process of supporting the growth plans of my business. Our adviser Alfred, was very knowledgeable and made the process much clearer than I've experienced with previous lenders or financial organisations generally, Definitely recommended!

...

Very good communication from the team and worked to sort out issues promptly. Great service

...

What an easy process handled professionally and with a very friendly manner!! I received an email from Funding Circle and given that my company is expanding needed additional funding so I just filled in the on line form. Within minutes I received an email confirming I could be accepted for funding. It gave me the contact details of Mr Matthew Barker. What a gentleman! He was totally professional throughout the process yet had such a friendly manner. He kept in daily contact and given the nature of my business was very patient when I couldn’t speak. The whole process took only 4 working days from initial contact to funds being paid into my account. I would like to thank Matthew for all his help and assistance, he is an absolute asset to Funding Circle!

...

As others have commented, I'm drowned in physical junk mail from this company. I finally spoke to sombody on the phone and asked what the general process was for people to opt out. She could opt me out over the phone by me giving my company name, but she was not aware of any other processes to opt out. Tried to be put through to the department responsible - but were very evasive with any information.

...

Had a loan and have been paying off the guarantee and out standing debt without default the have sold my personal guarantee to Azzuro and have loved a default in my personal credit rating. NEVER EVER TAKE A LOAN WITH THESE PEOPLE NO COMMS NO WARNINGS JUST RUIN YOUR CREDIT RATING. I can not express how much they are not a hood risk. The government has backed BBLs loan supplier too. Come on FCA investigate!!!!

...

I can’t help contrasting the service I received from Funding Circle with my previous experience with banks over the years. Funding Circle are very easy to deal with and don’t mess around. Prompt decision followed by funds within a week. Can’t argue with that..

...

Everything was very smooth running from beginning to end. If there were any questions to be answered funding circle came on to find out the answers within a speedy time so nothing was held up. Once everything was completed the money was deposited with 48 hours. This was hassle free and the service was excellent.

...

Excellent service. Scott helped me through the process, which was smooth and effortless. Thank you Scott.

...

Very quick and easy process, brilliant service thank you so very much

...

Scraped my details from Companies House so they can send me junk mailings in an official looking brown envelope to make it look like an important piece of mail.

...

We applied for a recovery loan on the 10th July and the funds were in our accounts on the 16th July. The paperwork was easy to fill out and the service we received was excellent. We can't recommend Funding circle enough.

...

I would like to thank Harry who managed my application from funding circle my experience was pleasant and quick.

...

Stay away from these cowboys. Covid took my business, I was paying off a loan with an agreed amount which I had managed to pay off more than what was expected. They then sold the remaining debt without notice to Azzurro Credit who instead of making contact with me just stuck a default on my credit rating even though payments were on time and being made. Don't take the chance as this company will ruin your life.

...

Greg was helpful and informative but was obviously juggling phone calls but it wasn't a problem.

...

Sam was extremely helpful and ensured the process was very smooth. Have used Funding Circle before and would highly recommend as it is a very smooth and quick process

...

Unlike trying to secure funding elsewhere, The Funding Circle made the experience a relative doddle and they were a pleasure to deal with, especially Li Yin Lam, who was our contact there. We can recommend them wholeheartedly.

...

Very helpful assistance from Sam who took me through the process from first approach to completion.

...

Very good speed effortless service, instant Yes decision and payout in 3 days, what else can i say, Excellent !!!!

...

Extremely helpful throughout! Highley recommend.

...

Do not use this scammers !!!! They are pretending to help! This is not true! Only get your dates and they will sell them!!! You get not help from them, NEVER !!!! Be aware!!! I had BBLS and now I have applied for Recovery Loan Scheme government guaranteed!!!! Decision in 30 seconds after you gave them all the details!!!! Guess What? Thank you for applying for finance through Funding Circle. We understand this is a difficult time for many small businesses and we're really sorry we can't help you right now. We’re always working on ways to help more businesses and we work with a range of partners who offer different finance products. We'll be in touch if we think they could help. You may be eligible for other government initiatives You can find more detail about the support available from the Government on their website. We hope you find the finance you need in these difficult times. Sooooo, AVOID THEM WITH ALL COST !!!!! As you can see all the 5 stars reviews are INVITED by THEM!!!! The real reviews are from uninvited peoples!!!! Real reviews!!!!!! Do not trust them!!!! It is simple!!!! They are protected by Government! Nothing to lose! But they have a lot to win by selling your details!!!!! SCAMMERS!!!!! Do not trust them, they have am answer for everything they want ;) All their good reviews are a LIE!!!!! What is the best good sell in this time???? YOUR DETAILS !!!! ;)

...

Worst lender on the market don't used them

...

thank you to Harry Mowat was very helpful and made it very easy we can now move forward the whole experience was made very easy once again thank you Harry and Funding circle. A small butcher in Gorleston Norfolk

...

Easy application and excellent response to emails from Matilda Davison. Everything explained fully and process was very smooth.

...

Great fast help, thank you!

...

Always a pleasure dealing with Funding Circle. They are fast, efficient and very helpful.

...

This is an aggressive lender. Do not get involved with them. I have had various loans over the years and always paid on time. When the pandemic hit we lost about 70% of our income, which resulted in us not being able to continue the payments. We have tried an IVA and 3 times they have knocked it back even though we have met the criteria and the other creditors have agreed. I have had severe anxiety and depression for over 14 years and even had to go to my Doctors to seek help and the stress of funding has contributed to my Doctor upping my pills to get me by. My Doctor even wrote to them on my behalf and they still knocked me back. I am at wits end and funding circle will be the downfall of my health. They just don’t care. They are to be reported to the government and hopefully they will be fined for not meeting our needs during this terrible time. So please consider another lender if you need to borrow as funding circle have no heart. Shameful company......

...

If I could give zero I would. I have always paid my loans on time then the pandemic hit and my business was hit really bad and still suffering as we rely heavily on the holiday industry. We approached a debt management company who submitted an IVA all our creditors accepted except funding circle we increased our offer with the help of a family offer which gave them above the return they would normally accept and they rejected again. They are aggressive lenders and have not taken into consideration the effects of the pandemic on small businesses. Don’t approach this company for lending if we hit another pandemic you will get no support they just look to get a charge on your property. I understand the government will be looking into these type of companies as they did with banks in the past and hopefully large fines will be issued. Shame on them.

...

Such a smooth easy process our account manager Gregg was so responsive got back to us straight away whenever we asked a question definitely reccomend 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼

...

It was very easy to apply online and we were emailed with our personal contact immediately. Harry rang to verify some details and confirm what we were looking for so that he could match us to the right product. We were approved a couple of days later and, once we accepted, the money was in our account within 2 days. Only gave 4 stars as we felt the arrangement fee was quite high as is the interest rate but we are planning to pay it back early and it is no reflection on Harry as he did his best to find solutions for us and has excellent customer service skills.

...

They offered me a loan. Thereafter they got all my self and my company details and not granted the loan. Time waster.

...

Excellent, hassle free service. Highly recommend.

...

Greg was very helpful and professional. First class service, keep it up👍

...

kept me up to date, great communication and always ready to assist with little time to waste thanks guys

...

Great service. Responded quickly all my queries, funding came through quickly.

...

Secured a Govt backed CBILS loan for one of our businesses. Funding Circle then sent FULL details of the loan and repayments to a wrong email address in a major data breach. When highlighted they admitted it and stuck £50 into our bank account and told us that was that. This caused a ripple effect as all 30 staff quickly found out about it from the email and the first has now left leaving a large hole in the business, recruiting costs and retraining costs. Funding Circles response? ‘Wait up to 8 weeks for a final response and then you can contact the Financial Ombudsman if you are not happy’. Many weeks later another stock email ‘final response’ no effort to resolve. Just another attempt to brush a data breach under the carpet. We have now contacted the ombudsman and will pursue through the courts if necessary. Data breaches have serious consequences and businesses are obligated to protect data. Funding Circle do not seem to care at all. Now watch for a standard template response to this complaint. Point made.

...

Very fast and efficient service would recommend to others.

...

Very easy znd very quick Great service and very helpful.

...

We found the whole process very efficient and professional and we were kept informed at each stage by our friendly account manager.

...

Really impressed with the service from Sam our accounts Manager, kept us informed at all stages, great contact, lots of information, highly recommended.

...

Fast and efficient

...

Really simple and super fast application procedure. Would recommend without hesitation

...

It was an easy and quick. Thank you

...

Excellent customer service thoughout

...

Funding Circle have helped us on a few occasions, very quick, effiecient and knowledgeable. We look forward to a long term relationship with them throughout our business years

...

Paige walked us through the process and kept us up to date throughout Very simple and straight forward every time we have needed funds, Funding Circle has been very responsive and provide an excellent service.

...

Fantastic service very speedy decision and excellent communication

...

Very good Service and very professional service and very prompt answer 1000%

...

smooth process, all the way support from the account manager

...

From start( online application) to finish (receiving money)was less than a week! A big thanks to Greg who helped us. We wouldn’t go anywhere else for any funding.

...

Slick services and processes. Excellent communication throughout the process

...

Jonas and and in his absence Scott were most helpful and efficient in effecting a quick and successful turnaround for the Company. Highly recommend their supportive and helpful approach.

...

Great Service from Funding Circle, and in particular my account manager Blaine who was ace. Thanks for your help.

...

Poor company . Had a loan with Fc, I then wanted to apply for RLS and If granted pay off the previous loan and just keep the RLS . Rejected even though I currently have a loan in place and never missed a payment , Their loss not mine , avoid this shower of crap and shop elsewhere .

...

Very fast and efficient service, highly recommend

...

Sarah Sheehan was absolutely excellent from start to finish. Funding circle are a excellent company and this is my second loan with them and are really good company to deal with and helping small businesses. Thanks again

...

A year and a half after receiving a long response from Funding Circle on here about shifts in liquidity to do with the secondary market, the fact is that the secondary market is closed and it's not possible to withdraw the funds that you invested - just small dribs and drabs over many months, seemingly made up mainly ( or entirely ) of interest. I note the response by FC to another disgruntled lender on here, in which they talked about the investment being a ' medium to long term ' one, and that investment in FC should only be viewed in this light. Well I have news for FC - do they think that if a person bought into any number of investment trusts/funds ( which are generally considered to be a medium to long term investment ) that if at any point in time you wanted to liquidate your investment the people who administer the fund would turn around any say ' sorry, for now all selling of fund investments are suspended until a time in the future which is not yet known, but do please rest assured that we are monitoring the situation ' If they tried to do that then I would have thought that the FCA would shut the fund down and fine the people who run the fund in an instant. I have just checked, and FC is regulated by the FCA, so I intend to make a formal complaint to them - I just don't understand how investment funds and trusts can be regulated one way and peer to peer lending another way, to the extent that seemingly a peer to peer lender can suddenly suspend returning the funds invested in it by its lenders when they choose to do so. Anyway, I'm sure that the FCA will shed more light on this, however it's obvious to me that it's wrong that investment funds and trusts are put in the same bracket as peer to peer lending as ' medium to long term investments - when in fact they are totally different animals. Shares in a trust or fund may have gone down since you bought them, but they are totally liquid investments at any given time. Anyway, even if you accept the excuse about suspending the secondary market due to the pandemic, surely with all government restrictions being removed on July 19th what excuse can there be now to keep this policy in force ? IMO the only reason that there could ever be for suspending the secondary market is that there is zero demand from other investors for loan parts - there is no other way that it makes any sense. Again, I am keen to hear the FCA's opinion on this... UPDATE : I see that there is a reply from FC below, which is a carbon copy standard response which was also given to the last person who complained about the treatment of lenders. It's especially galling given that my reply addressed the standard FC response that these are ' medium and long term investments ' and then they go and repeat the same thing again with a duplicate standard response given to the last person - that's just not good enough ! They say that the secondary market is ' a feature of the platform ' but for now they have removed the secondary market so that lenders cannot liquidate their loans - so why make a virtue of something that you have suspended, with no idea given of if and when it will ever be resumed ? Can you imagine taking out a personal loan with a bank or any other lender and then telling the bank that for the time being you are suspending paying back the loan, but are happy to just pay back the interest - oh, and maybe in the future you might consider paying the loan back if it suits you do so at some vague and undetermined time in the future, with no input at all from the lender...

...

Outsanding service i did not even have to make a phone call 5 emails were exchanged with all deatils etc and funding was in my account!!! Seriosuly first class service!! Will defo be my go to place for funding from know on!!

...

Quick decision and funding. Good communication throughout the process

...

Helpful and friendly - sometimes difficult to get hold of on the phone but always called/emailed back promptly

...

Very impressed all round. The process was simple and our account manager Michael stayed in touch throughout. Would recommend and use again.

...

Excellent service. My funding circle manager Li, was brilliant. She kept me updated, answered emails and calls promptly and was friendly, professional and helpful. Would highly recommend

...

Excellent service and turnaround times. Cannot fault the service received.

...

So straightforward and massively helpful advisors thank you

...

Absolutely faultless. Exactly what we needed.

...

As usually Funding Circle were very helpful in finding a solution that works for me, they were easy to deal with and dealt with the application to funds being in my bank in a reasonable time.

...

Kirsty has been an incredible help and was at the end of the phone whenever I needed assistance. Polite, friendly and very helpful. The attention to detail made the process very easy and stress free. I would highly recommend.

...

The usual great service from Funding Circle. Prompt, courteous and efficient. Paige was excellent and always acted quickly on any information we needed to provide. Thank you again for such great service!

...

They were the only lender who actually got our PPP loan funded. We went through Wells and Lendio before and they were unprofessional absolutely terrible with their knowledge of the program. Funding Circle kept us updated as promised via email and before we had lost all hope due to the other lenders we were funded. Thank you Funding Circle.

...

MADE A POTENTIALLY DIFFICULT PROCESS VERY SIMPLE.

...

I was contacted within hours of my initial inquiry by a business manger who explained how the process worked and I sent through basic accounting details to start the application. I had an provisional acceptance within a few hours and the documentation arrived within few days. The funds arrived in my account a few days later and the whole process was both simple and prompt . A thoroughly efficient and prompt service

...

communication and process was easy and worth it

...

A superb service that delivers good returns. The quality of their due diligence shone during the pandemic as the quality of the businesses I was lending to meant I was able to avoid losses. Just a great all round outfit.

...

Really efficient and friendly. Certainly recommend them,

...

We applied for an RLS through Funding Circle. It was a simple process to understand eligibility - happily we were eligible to apply. From approval onwards, we felt supported by our account manager and the process was easy to follow, thorough, quick and clear. Our account manager held our hand throughout the entire process and the funds became available with no protracted processes or complications. We are delighted to be supported by Funding Circle and these funds will help us navigate some of the recent challenges presented by COVID but equally position the business for growth.

...

This is the second time we have used Funding Circle and again they have given excellent service. I can not speak highly enough of Joana Costa, our account manager, who worked through various issues and It problems, kept us fully informed, and helped bring the agreement to a satisfactory close. Many Thanks.

...

DONT INVEST IN FUNDING CIRCLE... Funding Circle have removed the secondary market for their loans so investors now have NO METHOD of liquidating their loans. I am raising a formal complaint with the Ombudsman. They have left their investors high and dry. BUYER BEWARE!

...

Alfred understood our needs and circumstances and put in action what was necessary to make things happen. Five Stars ***** from me to Alfred and the whole team at Funding Circle.

...

Working on houses an fixing floor an window

...

Harry Mowat was absolutely brilliant at keeping in touch, and explaining things throughout the process.

...

Fantastic service, very efficient. Funding Circle made the process very easy.

...

They are full of crap

...

Fairly simple application process. Quick and efficient. Decision and offer came back within 48 hours and when agreement was made the funds were available within 24 hours. Decent interest rates comparable to other offerings on the market. Scott Walker was the account manager who handled everything for us and communication was excellent. A very pleasant individual to deal with. This is the second time our business has received funding from them and would absolutely recommend Funding Circle.

...

Many thanks to Kirsty for her support and guidance throughout the process of getting the loan. Kirsty took all the hassle and stress away and was prompt and professional.

...

Joanna costa has been very helpful. Equally pleasant.

...