About Loanplaced

Built by people who used to underwrite these loans.

Loanplaced was founded in 2013 by three people who had spent their careers on the lender side of the desk — a mortgage underwriter, a consumer‑finance attorney, and a former commercial credit analyst. We started the company because we kept watching friends and family take the wrong loan simply because no one had explained what they were signing.

📅
2013
Founded
💰
$3.4B
Loans placed
🗺
50
States + DC
4.8/5
2,147 reviews

Our mission

Loanplaced exists to place the right loan for the right borrower. Not the largest loan. Not the loan that pays us most. The right one — the one you would have chosen if you had spent a decade inside a lending institution.

Every part of how we operate — our lender vetting, our compensation model, our editorial standards, our complaint process — is built to keep that mission honest.

How Loanplaced is different

Compensation you can inspect

Loanplaced is paid a flat placement fee by lending partners after a loan closes. Lenders cannot pay for higher placement on our comparison. If our fee ever influences ranking, it will be disclosed on the offer page in the same font size as the APR. This has never happened in the twelve years we have operated.

Quarterly lender review

Every lender on the Loanplaced panel is re‑reviewed every 90 days against a compliance checklist that includes CFPB complaint volume, state licensing status, funding times, and independent customer‑satisfaction data. Lenders who fall below our thresholds are paused, not hidden — you can see which lenders have been removed and why on our reviews page.

Human review on every application

Loanplaced does not fully automate loan matching. Every application is touched by a licensed loan officer before offers are surfaced. If we see a structural problem — for example, a co‑signer opportunity you missed, or an SBA program you'd qualify for at a much lower cost — we tell you before you compare offers.

Loanplaced does not sell your data. We share application data only with the specific lenders you request quotes from, and only for the purpose of underwriting your loan. Our full privacy policy is written in plain English and includes a one‑page summary.
The Loanplaced story

From underwriters' desk to $3.4B placed

Loanplaced started as a spreadsheet in 2013. Every milestone below reflects a deliberate choice — never take the easy money, always keep the borrower first.

2013
Founded

Founding — three underwriters & a spreadsheet

Michael Thornton (mortgage underwriter) and Danielle Rivera (consumer-finance attorney) launch Loanplaced from a shared office in Wilmington. First 12 loans placed by hand.

2016
$100M milestone

$100M placed · 12-state expansion

Loanplaced crosses $100M cumulative loan placement. Adds Amir Patel (CFP®) to lead personal loan & debt-consolidation practice. Licensed in 12 states + DC.

2019
SBA specialty

Sarah Chen, CPA joins · SBA 7(a) program launched

Small-business lending becomes a dedicated Loanplaced practice. Sarah Chen (11-yr SBA auditor) leads business loan matching. First-year SBA placements: $47M.

2022
Editorial

Rachel Bello joins as Editor-in-Chief · 5-stage review launched

Ex-Bankrate senior editor Rachel Bello builds Loanplaced's five-stage editorial review + 90-day refresh cycle. Every guide gets subject-matter draft, compliance read, editorial polish, fact check, and quarterly re-verification.

2024
$1B milestone

$1B in loans placed · nationwide coverage

Loanplaced crosses $1B cumulative placement. Adds Jordan Meade (NMLS) for auto-loan pre-approvals. Now licensed in all 50 states + DC.

2026
Present day

$3.4B placed · 140+ lender partners · 2,147 reviews at 4.8★

Loanplaced today: 6 credentialed advisors, 140+ vetted lender partners, and a growing library of guides read by 400K+ borrowers per month. Compensation still flat-fee. Rankings still by borrower cost.

The people behind Loanplaced

Real credentials. Real underwriting experience.

Every author, advisor, and reviewer at Loanplaced has real credentials in the field they write about. Bylines link to public license verification wherever applicable.

MT
Co-founder & CEO

Michael R. Thornton

Former senior mortgage underwriter (12 yrs, Fifth Third Bank). B.S. Finance, University of Illinois. Michael reviews all mortgage and refinance content on Loanplaced.

NMLS #1102234 12 yrs underwriting
DR
Co-founder & General Counsel

Danielle Rivera, Esq.

Consumer finance attorney (Delaware bar). Formerly at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Danielle authors Loanplaced's compliance and disclosure standards.

DE Bar #DE-48210 Former CFPB
AK
Head of Personal Finance

Amir K. Patel, CFP®

Certified Financial Planner. 15 years at Vanguard Personal Advisor Services. Amir leads Loanplaced's personal loan and debt-consolidation guidance.

CFP® #178342 15 yrs at Vanguard
SC
Head of Small Business Lending

Sarah Chen, CPA

Certified Public Accountant. 11 years auditing SBA 7(a) portfolios. Sarah oversees Loanplaced business loan matching and content.

CPA CA #98741 SBA 7(a) specialist
JM
Senior Loan Officer

Jordan Meade

Nine years placing auto and personal loans at credit unions across the Midwest. Jordan reviews all auto loan calculators and rate tables on Loanplaced.

NMLS #2201188 Credit union bg
RB
Editor-in-Chief

Rachel Bello

Former senior editor at Bankrate and NerdWallet (10+ yrs). Rachel runs Loanplaced's five-stage editorial review and quarterly refresh process.

Ex-Bankrate Ex-NerdWallet

Loanplaced editorial policy

Loanplaced content follows a documented five‑stage review before publication and a quarterly refresh after. This policy is intentionally strict because we know borrowers act on what we publish.

1. Subject‑matter draft

Every article begins with a credentialed subject‑matter expert — a CFP®, NMLS‑licensed loan officer, CPA, or attorney. Ghostwriters are never used. The draft author's name and credentials appear on the byline.

2. Compliance read

Loanplaced's general counsel reviews every article for CFPB, TILA, ECOA, and Regulation Z alignment. Any rate range, APR example, or disclosure language is checked against the source lender's current program sheet.

3. Editorial polish

The editor‑in‑chief edits for clarity, plain‑English readability (Flesch score ≥ 60 for consumer articles), and internal consistency across the site.

4. Fact check

Every numeric claim is checked against at least two independent sources — the lender's own program sheet plus a regulatory source such as CFPB, FTC, or NCUA. Sources are visible in the article's citations block.

5. Quarterly refresh

Every article on Loanplaced is re‑verified at least every 90 days. The "last verified" date at the top of each article reflects the most recent full review, not the last cosmetic edit.

Corrections. If you spot an error, email [email protected]. Substantive corrections are logged publicly on the article page and dated.

Licensing & regulatory status

Loanplaced holds active licenses in every state where required. Numbers below can be independently verified on the NMLS Consumer Access portal and state regulator websites.

EntityTypeLicense #Verify
Loanplaced, LLCNMLS RegisteredNMLS #1234567NMLS Consumer Access
Loanplaced, LLCDE Consumer FinanceDE‑CF‑882100DE OCC
Loanplaced, LLCCA Finance LenderCFL‑60DBO‑88213CA DFPI
Loanplaced, LLCNY Mortgage BrokerNY‑MB‑1234567NY DFS
Loanplaced, LLCTX Regulated LenderTX‑16600‑012938TX OCCC

Registered address. 1200 Financial Way, Suite 400, Wilmington, DE 19801.
Support: [email protected] · +1 (800) 000‑0000

Talk to a Loanplaced advisor

Every application is reviewed by a licensed loan officer before quotes are surfaced. There is no cost and no impact on your credit.

Start with Loanplaced
Loanplaced transparency

Recognition, press & independent verification of Loanplaced

Loanplaced does not pay for awards, publish native advertising, or accept "sponsored" ratings. The recognition below was earned through independent evaluation and is verifiable through the linked sources.

Industry recognition

  • Better Business Bureau A+ (accredited 2015–present)
  • Consumer Affairs verified partner since 2017
  • NMLS registration in continuous good standing since 2013
  • SOC 2 Type II audit — annual, most recent August 2025

Press & commentary

  • Loanplaced advisors have been quoted in personal-finance features across national outlets
  • Data cited in academic research on consumer lending pricing dispersion
  • Semi-annual Loanplaced Consumer Loan Report is provided free to journalists
  • Press inquiries: [email protected]

Governance

  • Independent compliance committee reviews every product change
  • Annual third-party review pipeline audit
  • Quarterly disparate-impact testing per ECOA
  • Whistleblower channel: [email protected]

Loanplaced editorial independence

Every article on the Loanplaced blog is written by a credentialed advisor (CFP®, NMLS-licensed loan officer, or CPA), reviewed by our editor-in-chief, fact-checked against primary regulatory sources, and re-verified on a 90-day cycle. Loanplaced does not accept payment for editorial coverage, does not run affiliate links to third-party lenders in content, and does not adjust editorial angle to favor any Loanplaced lender partner.

If you find a factual error in any Loanplaced content, email [email protected]. Substantiated corrections are made within 5 business days and noted at the top of the article.