Best of
Bank Loans: Top Banks Offering Personal Loans in 2019
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Bank loans can be a source of large personal loans at low interest rates for good or excellent credit borrowers.
Summary of Bank Loans: Top Banks Offering Personal Loans in 2019
Lender | Best For | Est. APR | Min. Credit Score | Learn More |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() American Express See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website | Bank loans for debt consolidation | 6.90 - 19.98% | None | See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website |
![]() Discover® Personal Loans See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website | Bank loans for debt consolidation | 6.99 - 24.99% | 660 | See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website |
Marcus by Goldman Sachs on Goldman Sachs's website | Bank loans for flexible payments, rate discounts | 6.99 - 28.99% | 660 | on Goldman Sachs's website |
![]() PNC Bank Personal Loan See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website | Bank loans for flexible payments, rate discounts | 5.99 - 29.49% | None | See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website |
HSBC Personal Loan on HSBC's website | Bank loans for flexible payments, rate discounts | 5.49 - 17.29% | None | on HSBC's website |
LightStream on LightStream's website | Bank loans for home improvement | 5.49 - 17.49% | 660 | on LightStream's website |
![]() Wells Fargo Personal Loan See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website | Bank loans for home improvement | 5.24 - 22.74% | 600 | See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website |
![]() Citizens Bank See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website | Bank loans for co-signers | 6.80 - 20.90% | None | See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website |
![]() Citibank See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website | Bank loans for co-signers | 6.74 - 23.99% | None | See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website |
![]() BB&T Bank Personal Loan See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website | Bank loans for co-signers | 8.00 - 18.00% | 660 | See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website |
![]() US Bank Premier Loan See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website | Banks for secured personal loans | 7.49 - 17.99% | None | See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website |
Lender | Best For | Est. APR | Min. Credit Score | Learn More |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() American Express See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website | Bank loans for debt consolidation | 6.90 - 19.98% | None | See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website |
![]() Discover® Personal Loans See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website | Bank loans for debt consolidation | 6.99 - 24.99% | 660 | See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website |
Marcus by Goldman Sachs on Goldman Sachs's website | Bank loans for flexible payments, rate discounts | 6.99 - 28.99% | 660 | on Goldman Sachs's website |
![]() PNC Bank Personal Loan See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website | Bank loans for flexible payments, rate discounts | 5.99 - 29.49% | None | See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website |
HSBC Personal Loan on HSBC's website | Bank loans for flexible payments, rate discounts | 5.49 - 17.29% | None | on HSBC's website |
LightStream on LightStream's website | Bank loans for home improvement | 5.49 - 17.49% | 660 | on LightStream's website |
![]() Wells Fargo Personal Loan See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website | Bank loans for home improvement | 5.24 - 22.74% | 600 | See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website |
![]() Citizens Bank See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website | Bank loans for co-signers | 6.80 - 20.90% | None | See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website |
![]() Citibank See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website | Bank loans for co-signers | 6.74 - 23.99% | None | See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website |
![]() BB&T Bank Personal Loan See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website | Bank loans for co-signers | 8.00 - 18.00% | 660 | See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website |
![]() US Bank Premier Loan See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website | Banks for secured personal loans | 7.49 - 17.99% | None | See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website |
Our picks for
Bank loans for debt consolidation

on NerdWallet's secure website
American Express

Min. Credit Score
Est. APR
Loan Amount
on NerdWallet's secure website

on NerdWallet's secure website
Discover® Personal Loans

Min. Credit Score
Est. APR
Loan Amount
on NerdWallet's secure website
Our picks for
Bank loans for flexible payments, rate discounts
on Goldman Sachs's website
Marcus by Goldman Sachs
Min. Credit Score
Est. APR
Loan Amount
on Goldman Sachs's website

on NerdWallet's secure website
PNC Bank Personal Loan

Min. Credit Score
Est. APR
Loan Amount
on NerdWallet's secure website
on HSBC's website
HSBC Personal Loan

Min. Credit Score
Est. APR
Loan Amount
on HSBC's website
Our picks for
Bank loans for home improvement
on LightStream's website
LightStream

Min. Credit Score
Est. APR
Loan Amount
on LightStream's website

on NerdWallet's secure website
Wells Fargo Personal Loan

Min. Credit Score
Est. APR
Loan Amount
on NerdWallet's secure website
Our picks for
Bank loans for co-signers

on NerdWallet's secure website
Citizens Bank

Min. Credit Score
Est. APR
Loan Amount
on NerdWallet's secure website

on NerdWallet's secure website
Citibank

Min. Credit Score
Est. APR
Loan Amount
on NerdWallet's secure website

on NerdWallet's secure website
BB&T Bank Personal Loan

Min. Credit Score
Est. APR
Loan Amount
on NerdWallet's secure website
Our pick for
Banks for secured personal loans

on NerdWallet's secure website
US Bank Premier Loan

Min. Credit Score
Est. APR
Loan Amount
on NerdWallet's secure website
How much will it cost?
As with most credit products, the rate you receive on a personal loan from a bank depends a lot on your credit score. The better your score, the lower your rate and the less interest you’ll pay over the life of the loan. The interest rate also affects your total monthly payment, as does the term length; a longer term means lower monthly payments, but more interest.
Use our personal loan calculator to see estimated rates and payments for a personal loan.
» MORE: Best personal loan interest rates
How to qualify for bank loans
Bank loans may offer benefits for their customers, but they typically have tougher credit score requirements than online loans. Many banks also do not let you pre-qualify for a loan with a soft check of your credit. Consider the following tips to improve your chances of qualifying.
- Build your credit. Check your credit report for errors that may be hurting your score and dispute the errors online. Aim to make all of your debt payments on time, keep your credit utilization ratio low and avoid opening new accounts before your loan application.
- Add a co-applicant or co-signer to your application. This can help you qualify for a loan that you wouldn’t have on your own because of bad credit or low income. Banks that accept co-applicants or co-signers include Citibank, LightStream and Wells Fargo.
- Boost your income and pay down debt. This improves your debt-to-income ratio, or the percentage of your monthly debt payments divided by monthly income, a factor considered by some lenders. The lower the percentage, the better.
» MORE: 5 ways to boost your chances of qualifying
Bank loan alternatives
Whether you’re a loyal bank customer or not, it’s always smart to consider other options for personal loans. The best loan for you is one with the lowest rate possible and payments that fit your budget.
Credit unions: These not-for-profit, members-only organizations consider loan applicants’ full financial picture and are more likely to approve borrowers with average or bad credit. Rates on loans at federal credit unions are capped at 18%.
Online loans: With online lenders, you can complete the entire loan process on a mobile device and get funding within a day or two. Unlike some banks, online lenders typically let you pre-qualify for financing to see your estimated rate. This triggers a soft credit pull, so you can check your rate and terms at several lenders without impacting your credit score.
Home equity loans and HELOCs: This may be a lower-cost borrowing option if you have equity in your home, but you also risk losing it if you fail to repay the loan.
How to pre-qualify for an online personal loan
Taking the steps to pre-qualify for an online loan lets you see potential loan terms, including the loan’s interest rate, without hurting your credit. You can pre-qualify with multiple lenders on NerdWallet to compare offers and find the lowest rate.
Last updated on October 8, 2019
Methodology
To recap our selections...
NerdWallet's Bank Loans: Top Banks Offering Personal Loans in 2019
- American Express: Best for Bank loans for debt consolidation
- Discover® Personal Loans: Best for Bank loans for debt consolidation
- Marcus by Goldman Sachs: Best for Bank loans for flexible payments, rate discounts
- PNC Bank Personal Loan: Best for Bank loans for flexible payments, rate discounts
- HSBC Personal Loan: Best for Bank loans for flexible payments, rate discounts
- LightStream: Best for Bank loans for home improvement
- Wells Fargo Personal Loan: Best for Bank loans for home improvement
- Citizens Bank: Best for Bank loans for co-signers
- Citibank: Best for Bank loans for co-signers
- BB&T Bank Personal Loan: Best for Bank loans for co-signers
- US Bank Premier Loan: Best for Banks for secured personal loans
Frequently asked questions
If you’re an existing customer and in good standing with a bank that offers personal loans, you could get benefits like rate discounts and a larger loan amount. If you’re not an existing customer, consider the APR and loan amount different banks can offer you based on your credit profile.
While some online lenders can offer loans to borrowers with fair or poor credit, good-credit borrowers looking for higher loan amounts may get approved for a bank loan more easily. The best lender is typically the one that offers the lowest interest rate with reasonable monthly payments, which is why it’s important to compare lenders.
Bank loans work similarly to online loans in that you apply for a loan and, if you're approved, the lender will let you know how much you can borrow and at what rate. Bank loans can differ from online loans in their qualification criteria and application processes.