Rate Marketplace - Reviewed & Compared
Summary
In a world of “me too” marketing, you always get copycat businesses. And yes, competition is good for everyone, and sometimes these new entries bring a lot to the table. In the case of Loan Aggregators, RateMarketplace.com has thrown their hat into the ring. Are they worth your time? Let's find out.
Company Overview
The way online lending works, there are loan / lending companies, and then there are loan aggregators. Loan aggregators look to get some basic information from you, and then match you up with lenders. The best aggregators also have an informative website with lots of information.
RateMarketplace.com is a loan aggregator, meaning they can match you up with lending companies like Quicken Loans, Loan Depot, and many others. The company has an extensive website with a lot of information, updated blog posts on a wide range of topics, and a juicy array of loan options and related services (you can even start looking for insurance there.) They also have tools and calculators – not as many as someone like Lending Tree, but they are there.
The company is fairly new, having started in 2013. But since they are an aggregator and not an actual lender, this isn't a big deal, because you aren't actually borrowing from RateMarketplace.com – you are using them to find your ultimate lender.
MORE: Calculate your monthly mortgage payment
What Rate Marketplace Does Best
They give you information and plenty of borrowing options, in an easy to use format. You can get almost any type of loan (from mortgages to refinancing to personal loans), and even get insurance for your home, car, life, and health. Wow, that's a lot of stuff under one roof.
They also don't require a Social Security Number to start the process. I went through their “question and answer” process to be given a list of lenders, and indeed, no SS# was required. So that part was well done.
Their website is very easy to navigate, which is something most consumers will appreciate. Information was easy to find, and in one click, I got today's interest rates. Some companies shy away from this (because if rates are high that month, maybe it kills business), but RateMarketplace.com is not afraid to offer them up. I also found their blog interesting and updated, with current, well-written posts on many related topics.
MORE: Calculate your monthly mortgage payment
Any Negatives?
Yea, a few. I'm not going to pull any punches here, but I felt like RateMarketplace.com really didn't do a whole lot when I used the site as intended. What I mean by that is I went through a few minute Q&A regarding my loan type, my income, my e-mail, etc. etc., only to be shown a list of lenders where I had to do that exact same Q&A all over again. It's like RateMarketplace.com didn't really do anything with my answers, and made me jump through hoops to end up at a default list.
I then tried a different loan type, and was asked for my SS# a few questions in. So much for that – my experiment stopped there.
What Others Are Saying
RateMarketplace.com is a new player, so they don't have a whole lot written about them. They do have an A+ BBB rating, but that's not the end of the story – their internal rating by the BBB is 3.5 stars. They have a few negative reviews there, and some complaints. Now, it's likely they addressed these complaints (the BBB is big on that), but I'm here to state the facts. I'd like to see some more positive press for these folks. Perhaps in time.
Our Final Verdict: 8.8/10
RateMarketplace.com is excellent at giving you a list of lenders, and their website is very informative, especially their excellent blog, which is well worth diving into. But in the end, I felt that was the best part of their process. Their Q&A process seemed largely unnecessary, and I was prompted to enter my SS# at one point, even though they make a big deal out of not requiring this. As far as loan aggregators go, RateMarketplace.com should be on your list to visit and research, but there are probably better options available.
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