There are clearly risks in P2P lending, but we're here to help with our experience, candid views and intense due diligence on the providers of these investments. 4thWay educates and informs you about this type of investing, and alerts you to risks and opportunities.
Since we started in 2014, 4thWay has always correctly rated P2P lending and similar online direct lending accounts – or de-rated them – and we have always given at least 12 months' notice before any of the providers we track went steeply downhill.
While it's not possible to keep this perfect record forever, we intend to keep our record as perfect as possible! We are here for the individual investor and individual lender like you!
4thWay in five bullet points
- 4thWay® was founded as the world's first ratings and research agency for P2P lending and other online direct lending, marketplace lending or similar investments. We continue to have a perfect record in ratings, as well as in our buy or sell picks.
- We provide online peer-to-peer lending comparison and IFISA comparison, and specialist research in plain English, with the sole focus of helping people with savings to lend better: to make more money, more safely.
- We are staunchly independent and provide highly candid opinion, as our users and professionals frequently testify.
- We’re experienced credit analysts, investment analysts, bank-risk modelling professionals and investment researchers.
- We are democratically governed by our users – people such as yourselves – who ensure our number one aim: absolute trustworthiness.
What we do for lenders in peer-to-peer and in IFISAs
- Help you learn about P2P lending.
- Dramatically lower your risks and increase your potential rewards through online guides and tips.
- We believe we can help you to earn as much as two-fifths more interest while lowering your risks.
- We think we can lower your recession risks by as much as 90%.
- Alert you to rising risks (e.g. if a P2P lending website starts allowing more flaky borrowers).
- Help you to cut out the banks and keep the interest for yourselves.
“Very useful…Keep up the good work!”
Read many, many testimonials from people like you as well as from professionals and the P2P lending providers themselves. On the same page, you can see scores of 4thWay's appearances in all of the major national newspapers: the Financial Times, the Times, Telegraph, Sun, Mirror, Express, Daily Mail and more.
4thWay® PLUS Ratings and Risk Scores
The 4thWay PLUS Ratings are a test of the chances of losing money as a result of bad debts in a severe recession and how long it might take to recover those losses. The risk scores compare the risks to savings accounts at the lowest risk end and the stock market at the higher end. We think our ratings are based on the toughest assessments in the industry, worldwide.
Please read About The 4thWay PLUS Ratings to see how they are constructed and to learn about our perfect record in ratings.
4thWay is democratically governed by you, our users
Our mission is to be by far the most trustworthy source of P2P lending information for lenders.
We are democratically governed by a panel of our website users nominated by you (the Panel of Peers) to ensure we are impartial, accurate and don't forget to mention important pros and cons.
4thWay's P2P lending research is, therefore, approved by your peers!
How we earn money
Read How We Earn Money Fairly With Your Help.
Get started
So get started! Compare the peer-to-peer lending websites – and their risks, rewards and special features – now, or browse our guides and articles.
Meet some of 4thWay's specialists
Neil Faulkner, CEO, lead researcher & Product Manager (small business, lots of hats)
Neil Faulkner is recognised as one of the foremost authorities on peer-to-peer lending in the UK. He has been the most quoted independent commentator in the industry in the major national press for many years. (See press history.) Neil has been in the P2P Finance News Power 50 list every year.
An investor since the 1990s, Neil has been working in and around the financial services industry for most of his career, including as a financial and investment spokesperson, as an investment journalist, and as as an editor.
He co-founded 4thWay when he realised that peer-to-peer lending was being sold like safer savings accounts, and that there was little analysis from experienced investors and banking professionals.
Before 4thWay was launched, Neil took time off to interview senior industry figures, risk analysts and credit specialists.
In addition to leading the research, Neil has headed the launch of many products, including 4thWay's websites and ratings, an industry performance index, and an app to conduct automated analyses of peer-to-peer lending accounts' risks and performance, and more.
Anonymous, credit specialist
“Anonymous” is a credit specialist and senior partner at one of the major consultancy firms. Since around half his clients are banks – natural competitors to peer-to-peer lenders – his identity is a secret.
Nick Horrocks, Lead Programmer
At 4thWay, Nick has managed the web development team. He has also created powerful tools for 4thWay's analysts that allow them to analyse millions of cells of loan book data, in order to carry out calculations, such as those needed for the 4thWay PLUS Ratings.
Nick Horrocks has extraordinary experience in the start-up space stretching over two decades.
He's managed technology and infrastructure, hired medium-sized virtual teams and managed budgets, reporting directly to the CEO, for several start-up businesses including getfractal.com, ibiditrade.com and hotproperty.co.uk.
Nick launched the first online offering for several large corporates including vogue.co.uk, gqmagazine.com, Debenhams, Top Shop, Top Man, Harrods and Christies Auctioneers. He was also in the top ten out of 450,000 freelance consultants on peopleperhour.com for a long time, and the father of three lovely children.
4thWay's junior researchers
Sergii Vitiv
Sergii is a freelance investment researcher who works for a prominent equity fund manager. Sergii is extremely thorough, interested, and interesting, and we feel really lucky to have him in our highly skilled team!
Matthew Howard, researcher and writer
Matt has more than just a keen interest in peer-to-peer lending. He's an analytical thinker who can also write in a way that everyone can understand.
Jane Rey, researcher and writer
Jane is a writer turned analyst who sponged up the industry at an astounding speed, as well as the ethos of 4thWay for providing candid and accurate research.
Cliff D'Arcy, researcher and writer
Read about experienced investment journalist Cliff D'Arcy here.
Thank you!
We couldn't have done it – and keep doing it – without these others:
Marjan Wolf, marketing. Creative, curious, conscientious and full of integrity.
Sonia Rehill, an exceptional financial marketing and PR manager, head of communications at Moneysupermarket, formerly Head of Global PR at The Motley Fool, who modestly says her main job is to hold Neil's hand when he does BBC interviews, but so long as they only show his face no one will notice. Email pr@4thway.co.uk
On top of Nick's team of developers, I'd like to thank this is nido and Anthony Davies for their excellent graphic and UX design respectively, as well as David Harrison and David O'Reilly for their accurate programming.
Max Scheer, for his remarkable graphic and UX design.
Melwin Mehta, fund manager, for his assistance in assessing businesses for us.
Michaela Uhl for her diligent administrative work.
Ashok Rao, business and technical consultant. Despite his formidable experience, he says his main role during start-up was to ensure Neil doesn't get carried away with his ideas – but that, while he's had his work cut out for him, Neil's come along nicely and it all worked out in the end!
Barrie, who works with Mark by looking after our relationships with the P2P lending platforms in order to help the research team keep an impartial distance.
Liam Weedon, sales, of Fintech Funnels, who helps platforms to understand just how useful our ratings are for them and their lenders..
Leigh Baker, Consultant Risk Adviser
Leigh Baker is a senior risk-modelling professional who has improved borrower selection for most major banks, as well as P2P lending companies, such as building risk and credit models for ThinCats and consultancy to Landbay and MarketInvoice.
For nearly 30 years, Leigh has proven his creative data science and mathematical modelling capabilities. He has taken several UK and European companies through the FCA authorisation process successfully.
Leigh substantially upgraded the 4thWay PLUS Ratings.
“For Lenders who may not be familiar with 4thway, they are a P2P Lending Research Agency who rate platforms by reviewing the company, their business model, their staff and the underlying loan book. 4thway really look under the hood, we provide monthly data feeds and participate in regular one on one interviews from CEO to credit team. Proplend has been one of 4thways highest rated Platforms for the past 4 years, something of which we are very proud.
“Whilst you may not be familiar with 4thway, you may have heard of “Defacto”, they also rate financial products, which according to their website ranges from pet insurance to pensions. Interestingly Proplend also scores highly with a 5 star rating which we have held for the past few years.
“The major difference between these two is, no one from Defacto has ever engaged with us and they have never requested any data. Whilst third party oversight is good, it is important for Lenders to understand the depth of the oversight. If you do not already subscribe to 4thways newsletters, I highly recommend them.”
The Proplend Team
For reviews about 4thWay from other industry insiders, and from 4thWay users, see testimonials.
