Get an ethical loan: what is responsible lending?
There are many loan companies across the UK who claim to offer their customers ethical loans. But what is exactly is an ethical loan, and what makes Street UK different to other lenders?
Street UK is a non-profit community lender, with a proven history of providing access to finance for people who struggle to get credit from banks and building societies.
As a responsible and ethical lender, the financial health of the people we help is important to us and everything we do is based around the following principles:
- To be ethical, transparent and honest
- To treat our customers fairly and with respect
- To provide you with clear, understandable information
- To deal with you in a professional and courteous manner
- To treat your personal information as confidential and in accordance with Data Protection legislation
- To ensure the cost of credit only reflects the cost of providing the service
- To make certain that we do not overcommit you by approving credit
- To be considerate in the treatment of payment issues and arrears
Transparency
In 2015 the FCA introduced a price cap that limits what online lenders can charge and forces them to undertake affordability assessments. This means lenders must be more transparent with the true cost of their credit. With two decades of experience in providing ethical loans, Street UK had already been meeting these obligations and supporting customers with affordable credit.
Since 2000 Street UK has been operating as a Social Enterprise and community lender, providing ethical loans to thousands of people looking for loan alternatives. Affordability is a core part of our business and we will only lend to you if we are sure you can afford the repayments and that a Street UK loan would not indebt you beyond your means.
In cases where we feel that we could not offer you a loan, we will explain why and direct you to our advice and resources pages.
We know that applying for a loan is not an easy decision to make. To ensure we can provide an ethical loan for you, we ask that you:
- Assess your current personal and financial situation prior to making an application
- Provide accurate and complete information on your application
- Understand and agree to the terms and conditions on which the loan is offered
- Contact us when you need further advice or support