Customers can borrow between $100 and $1,000 with no hidden fees
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep. 10, 2018--
U.S. Bank has launched a new small-dollar loan product called Simple
Loan, designed to help customers deal with unexpected or short-term cash
needs with a transparent, easy-to-understand installment loan.
According to a Federal Reserve study released in May 2018, about 40
percent of U.S. adults said they would not be able to cover a $400
unexpected expense or would cover it by selling something or borrowing
money. Among those not able to pay the expense in full using cash or
savings, 29 percent would have no other means to be able to pay for the
expense.
“As a company, we are all focused on powering the potential of our
customers. So, every day we work to be there in the moments that matter
to them the most,” said Lynn Heitman, executive vice president, U.S.
Bank Consumer Banking Sales and Support. “Sometimes those moments are
the unexpected ones when customers need short-term access to funds they
don’t have on hand. We saw this as a need we could help with by
providing customers with a trustworthy, transparent loan option.”
With Simple Loan, U.S. Bank checking account customers can borrow
between $100 and $1,000 with no hidden fees. Repayment takes place over
three months via three fixed payments. The loan provides immediate
access to funds with simplified pricing of $12 for every $100 borrowed
with autopay from a U.S. Bank checking account, or $15 for every $100 if
paid manually. The terms of the loan are detailed on our website at usbank.com/simpleloan.
“Simple Loan is straightforward, transparent and more affordable than
many other products in the market. It meets a critical credit need for
customers who might otherwise be forced to seek a loan that can carry
interest charges of more than several hundred percent,” said Paul
Woodruff, executive director, Prosperity Connection, and member, U.S.
Bank Community Advisory Committee. “People need access to small-dollar
credit. U.S. Bank is answering the call and providing a pathway for
customers to save money and meet their needs.”
U.S. Bank worked closely with, and provided full transparency to,
regulators while developing this product, and is the first national bank
to offer this type of short-term loan solution. The company first tested
the product with select customers in 2016 and 2017. Customer feedback
overwhelmingly indicated that people who used the product greatly
appreciated the simple pricing structure and immediate access to funds.
In addition, customers shared they valued that their loan was reported
to credit agencies, giving them the ability to build their credit.
U.S. Bank wants to ensure that, while this is helping to cover critical
needs for many customers, it also helps set them up for success and the
ability to move past that moment of need. Therefore, each customer can
obtain only one Simple Loan at a time and, after repayment, there is a
30-day waiting period before a customer can apply for an additional loan.
"Simple Loan is a major step for a national bank to provide small-dollar
loans with longer payment schedules to fit consumers' complicated
financial lives,” said José Quiñonez, founder & CEO, Mission Asset Fund,
and member, U.S. Bank Community Advisory Committee. “I only hope that
others follow U.S. Bank's lead in the future, because consumers all
across the country desperately need credit, even if it’s $100 or $1,000
at a time."
In keeping pace with the evolving ways customers interact with the bank,
Simple Loan offers a streamlined application that is entirely digital,
from application to underwriting to booking to funding for approved
customers. It will be available only through online banking and the
bank’s mobile app, and the entire process will take just a few minutes.
About U.S. Bank
U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB), with 74,000
employees and $461 billion in assets as of June 30, 2018, is the parent
company of U.S. Bank, the fifth-largest commercial bank in the United
States. The Minneapolis-based bank blends its relationship teams,
branches and ATM network with mobile and online tools that allow
customers to bank how, when and where they prefer. U.S. Bank is
committed to serving its millions of retail, business, wealth
management, payment, commercial and corporate, and investment services
customers across the country and around the world as a trusted financial
partner, a commitment recognized by the Ethisphere Institute naming the
bank a 2018
World’s Most Ethical Company. Visit U.S. Bankonline
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media to stay up to date with company news.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180910005578/en/
Source: U.S. Bank
U.S. Bank Public Affairs and Communications
Molly Snyder,
612-303-0746
molly.snyder@usbank.com
or
U.S.
Bank Investor Relations
Jen Thompson, 612-303-0778
jen.thompson@usbank.com