Lending & Borrowing Money Outside of the Mainstream

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I am always looking for ways to earn money and stay out of mainstream "money lending" for the purpose of borrowing. One of the reasons for this is I was badly burned in my divorce many years ago which put me in the financial toliet for many years, in fact I am only now after 10 years finally climbing out. For those of us who have suffered through divorce, loss of retirement funds, job loss, home loss, high debt, medical bills, no insurance, and a host of other financially ruinous things there are other options today....they just are not well known. For those of us with a bit of spare money laying about who want to grow that money in unconventional ways, well there are also some options that allow you to put your money to work. www.prosper.com I have recommended this site in the past to someone who was looking for a loan. It is a great way to avoid banks, that will look at you as only a number. Prosper is people lending money to people. You have the opportunity to tell your story, it is more than just your credit score! Yes you still are rated on standard scores, yes you still have to pay it back, and yes the interest rate will still be based upon normal items such as your risk rating. But the likelihood of you actually receiving the money you need is much higher. For those that want to lend, it is an easy process. You can use the porfolio process or build your own based on emotional or pragmatic decision making. What do you all think of this solution to the credit crunch? Good? Bad? Indifferent? To high of a risk in this day and age or a good bet?