To get a personal loan with no credit and no cosigner, start by comparing no-credit-check loans, secured personal loans, credit-builder loans and home equity loans to determine if they will satisfy your needs. You should also investigate whether borrowing from friends or family is an option.
Having no credit makes it difficult to qualify for most unsecured loans, as lenders usually require an established credit score of 600 or higher. You could get around that issue if you had a cosigner, as the lender would use that person’s credit in the decision instead of yours. But without a cosigner, you have to rely on your own income and collateral.
How to Get a Personal Loan with No Credit & No Cosigner
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Get a secured personal loan.
Your credit, or lack thereof, doesn’t matter as much when you put up collateral to secure a loan. The lender can take possession of the collateral if you default, which means they have far less risk in lending to you.
You can find secured personal loans at banks like Wells Fargo, Fifth Third Bank, KeyBank and PNC. You can also ask about them at your local credit unions. There are online lenders that offer secured personal loans, too. But make sure they’re not predatory payday loans or auto title loans that charge excessive fees.
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Take out a credit-builder loan.
This is a type of loan where the lender sets aside a certain sum of money in a savings account for you. Then, you pay that amount back in monthly installments and receive access to the account with all your money at the end. Plus, the lender reports to the credit bureaus each month, helping you build your credit score.
The only problem is that this process is kind of backward if you need money upfront. So it’s really only intended for building credit rather than getting money. If you’re interested in a credit-builder loan, check your local banks and credit unions.
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Use your home equity.
Home equity loans are another type of secured loan. But they can be for much larger sums because the amount you can borrow is based on the value of your house minus the amount you have left to pay on the mortgage. So if your house is mostly paid off and is worth a lot of money, you could get a big loan. It’s not common that someone would own a home yet have no credit history, but it is possible.
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Borrow from friends or family.
A family member or friend isn’t as likely to care if you don’t have credit history. You may be able to convince them to give you a loan. But in order to avoid any relationship problems with that person in the future, you should make sure you have a written agreement and a plan to pay them back.
All in all, it’s not impossible to get a personal loan with no credit and no cosigner, but your options aren’t the greatest either. If you only need a few hundred dollars, you can always apply for a credit card for people with no credit. Then, you’ll have a credit line to draw on whenever you need it, and the ability to carry a balance between months if necessary.
This answer was first published on 10/28/19 and it was last updated on 10/26/23. For the most current information about a financial product, you should always check and confirm accuracy with the offering financial institution. Editorial and user-generated content is not provided, reviewed or endorsed by any company.
