The 4thWay Peer-to-Peer And Direct Lending Index (PADL Index) enables investors to compare long-run returns to shares and other asset classes. Constituents’ returns have massively outpaced the stock market. In the ten years since start of the index, annualised returns after costs have been…
There are some items that we pay close attention to at 4thWay. For example, we have often described some of the signs we look for that a P2P lending provider is kicking the can of bad debt down the road to hide its actual performance….
Recently, for a friend, I returned to my old stomping grounds of share investing to look at the best options for her. I was interested to know how these had changed since I last assessed them in great detail, which would have been early in…
Borrowers were hit hard over 2022 and 2023. Property prices were unclear and somewhat rocky. And those who were borrowing to complete property developments have been suffering a shortage of workers. The worst for borrowers though was rocketing inflation. That didn’t just push up interest…
People who invest through AxiaFunder’s online platform are funding claimants’ legal cases. Investors typically take huge profits when these claims are won – sometimes even projected to earn 2-3 times the amount invested – albeit with substantial downside risk when cases are lost. Most cases…
FOLK2FOLK’s Property-Backed Business Lending Account/IFISA unrated, due to lack of information. This account has been paying in the region of interest after zero losses to lenders. Visit FOLK2FOLK or keep reading the FOLK2FOLK Review.
Crowd2Fund (read review) launched in the mid 2010s. Most of the companies listed on 4thWay that launched in the same era have already reported annual profits or are at least around breakeven. This includes: Kuflink* (review), Proplend* (review), Somo* (review), CapitalStackers* (review), Downing (review), CrowdProperty…
4thWay mostly covers opportunities where you can expect to double your money “just” every 8-10 years, when you use a reasonably simple and sensible strategy. (See our 10 Core Guides.) That’s really good going, considering the level of risk involved. The stock market, which has…
Two platform heads have recently mentioned to me the surprisingly large tremor caused by Trussonomics on development lending, which is still having knock-on consequences. But that’s far from the only thing to hit this sector: the continued loss of construction workers from Brexit, recent high…
You’ll have noticed that P2P lending companies sometimes win awards, which are usually awarded by some sort of publication, with or without an independent judging panel. 4thWay, too, regularly wins industry awards for which I am truly very grateful and glad that we get recognised….
We have nagged the taxman’s notoriously tight-lipped officials, and chased down accountants, IFISA providers and even 4thWay’s own skilled experts to give you answers to all your IFISA questions, as well questions you never thought to ask. Here goes: What is an IFISA? An IFISA…
Over the past month or so, I’ve talked with a couple of dozen investors who use 4thWay’s research. It’s been one of the advantages of growing a wealthy collective of lenders to get better returns while doing something useful to support the proper functioning of…
P2P lending companies often want and need to fund loans through institutions or a collection of especially wealthy investors, who earn better rates and terms for the privilege. That lending is over-and-above the usual lending through online lending platforms. And that’s all while providing a…
It was a lot of years ago when we assessed Unbolted’s lending processes, and then lost contact with them for a long time. In summer 2023, however, we’ve received substantial supporting evidence and answers to go along with a relatively short interview on lending processes…
Update on 12th August 2023: Crowd2Fund’s accounts have now been filed and the strike-off action discontinued. Details of its accounts here. You’ve not heard anything from us on Crowd2Fund for a while. Crowd2Fund hasn’t been in a position to provide detailed data to us to…
Lande* has re-established its data pipeline and so we’ve reassessed its 4thWay PLUS Rating. Despite quite a few more loans falling late or turning bad as its history has been maturing, it has easily maintained its 3/3 “Exceptional” 4thWay PLUS Rating. Its high interest rates…
Falls in house prices in seven of the past 10 months (according to both Halifax and Nationwide) have not perceptibly impacted overall annualised lending results at P2P lending platforms. While price changes can have delayed effects, the future also looks very healthy for lenders using…
We’ve had to temporarily take Lande’s 4thWay PLUS Rating down. Unfortunately, due to illness, Lande’s not been able to provide us with the data we need to keep assessing it on anything like the regular basis that we require. I’ve been informed that Lande will…
P2P lending companies are run by people, so lenders rely on them for getting satisfactory lending results. Their character is always going to be of interest, especially in terms of personality traits that can increase or decrease the risks to you. By “good character”, I’m…
Property lending dominates the P2P lending industry and for good reason. It’s because banks have historically had less of a grip on some parts of this market, and because high-quality borrowers have often struggled to get the loans and conditions that they need, with the…
Independent opinion: 4thWay will help you to identify your options and narrow down your choices. We suggest what you could do, but we won't tell you what to do or where to lend; the decision is yours. We are responsible for the accuracy and quality of the information we provide, but not for any decision you make based on it. The material is for general information and education purposes only.
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The 4thWay® PLUS Ratings are calculations developed by professional risk modellers (someone who models risks for the banks), experienced investors and a debt specialist from one of the major consultancy firms. They measure the interest you earn against the risk of suffering losses from borrowers being unable to repay their loans in scenarios up to a serious recession and a major property crash. The ratings assume you spread your money across hundreds or thousands of loans, and continue lending until all your loans are repaid. They assume you lend across 6-12 rated P2P lending accounts or IFISAs, and measure your overall performance across all of them, not against individual performances.
The 4thWay PLUS Ratings are calculated using objective criteria that can be measured and improved on over time, although no rating system is perfect. Read more about the 4thWay® PLUS Ratings.
*Commission, fees and impartial research: our service is free to you. 4thWay shows dozens of P2P lending accounts in our accurate comparison tables and we add new ones as they make it through our listing process. We receive compensation from AxiaFunder and other P2P lending companies not mentioned above either when you click through from our website and open accounts with them, or to cover the costs of conducting our calculated stress tests and ratings assessments. We vigorously ensure that this doesn't affect our editorial independence. Read How we earn money fairly with your help.
