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Is lendingclub.com kosher?

Question:

Is there a problem of ribis if one uses lendingclub.com as either a borrower or investor?

“Lending Club is the world’s largest marketplace connecting borrowers and investors, where consumers and small business owners lower the cost of their credit and enjoy a better experience than traditional bank lending, and investors earn attractive risk-adjusted returns” (from https://www.lendingclub.com/public/how-peer-lending-works.action).

Since most users are not Jewish (and loans are funded anonymously) I should think we go boser rov and it should be ok. What do you think?

Answer:

You are correct in what you wrote that since most users are not Jewish we go boser rov, Also since the money does not go directly from the borrowers to the investors and we are dealing with a company not a private lender there are those who hold that there is no problem of ribis.

Sources:

Y:D 160:16, Teshuvas Minchos Yitschok 3:1,11,23, Teshvas Igras Moshe E:H 1:7


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