SoFi Blog

SoFi has been out on the road these past few weeks, visiting universities around the country and spending time with student loan borrowers.  We wanted to learn more about these soon-to-be graduates and their challenges with education debt, so that we can better serve them with our products.

One thing we discovered is that they wanted to learn a lot more about us, too.  Here were some of the most frequently asked questions – and answers – from our spring tour.

San Francisco, CA — May 1, 2014 — Social Finance, LLC (SoFi.com), a leader in peer-to-peer lending, today announces it has refinanced more than half a billion dollars in student loans.  In the past year, SoFi’s footprint grew substantially:  the number of schools represented by SoFi borrowers has grown nearly 800% to more than 550 universities, and the number of borrowers refinancing their Federal and private student loans has quadrupled.

“We’re making a significant impact on the student debt burden,” said Mike Cagney, CEO of SoFi. “By connecting alumni and institutional capital directly with highly qualified borrowers, we’re delivering meaningful savings to borrowers and attractive returns to investors.”

SoFi has streamlined the lending process with a pain-free online application, mobile document upload, and helpful customer service via text, email, or phone.  Borrowers can combine their Federal and private loans into a single monthly payment, and customize payment terms to fit their lifestyle.  Unlike traditional lenders, SoFi borrowers become members in a powerful community with programs to reach life milestones such as entrepreneurship support, job placement assistance, unemployment protection and exclusive access to new financial products.

SoFi’s borrower base is exceptional in its commitment to repayment. To date, borrowers have repaid over $50M in loans with zero defaults.

“SoFi is poised to disrupt traditional banking relationships by applying the successful model we’ve created to additional loan categories,” continued Cagney. “I believe a local, affinity-based marketplace where people are mutually investing in each other’s financial lives and futures is a more attractive option for all of our members.”

SoFi is building an alternative to traditional banking that will support a borrower’s financial needs throughout their lifetime. For more information on SoFi, visit sofi.com.

About SoFi 

For the first time in history, accomplished graduates are unable to attain many of life’s milestones- like starting a company, buying a car, or purchasing a home- because of the massive student debt burden. To date we’ve issued over $500M in loans to more than 5,000 members.  Our community-based model offers borrowers unique benefits like career coaching, entrepreneurship support, and unemployment protection.  We offer individual and institutional investors opportunities to invest in these bright minds and earn compelling rates of return.  For more information, visit SoFi.com.

When was the last time you revisited your student loan repayment strategy?  If you’re like most borrowers, it’s probably been awhile.  That monthly payment may be an irksome reminder of the debt you’re chipping away at, but otherwise you try to avoid thinking about your loans on a regular basis.  Because – let’s face it – thinking about student loans is kind of a bummer.

The problem with this “out of sight, out of mind” mentality is that it can end up costing you more interest than is necessary over the long run – which is bad for your bottom line.  Luckily, there are a few interest-saving strategies that can make a big difference without requiring a lot of time or effort.  We shared three of our favorite strategies over on the Student Loan Hero blog this week – check out the full post here!