I am expanding my business and I've always been a sole proprietor, so I did not have business credit and saw a great deal on a private sale of equipment. I had the money in hand but knew I would need it for other odds and ends before we opened. Upstart promised a quick review turnaround, which it then stalled. Though I gave them access to my bank account showing that I had more than double the funds I was requesting and about double going into my account every month, and a modest but not awful credit score, for some reason I was not met with an immediate acceptance so I called them to see what was going on. They told me I would need to somehow produce my university diploma for their "best rate" which is what, 35%? Their phone stuff seems very un knowledgeable and unprofessional and I found this to be laughable as an elder millennial; my grad year starts with "oh." I have never needed anything like this for anything, and my actual diploma was lost in a basement furnace incident years ago. To suddenly need to pull this out of thin air for a $4k loan is insane; I didn't need anything like that for my brand new 2026 truck, but I need it somehow for a Best rate of 35% for $4000? I don't understand how this could be any kind of debt or loan consolidation for anyone at this rate. It is predatory, and the only reason I considered it is because it was a Sunday night and I thought I could get it done fast and easily, and I know I have the means to pay it off easily. Many don't... Which makes this really sketchy.
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