For millions of Americans, a credit score has long been the gatekeeper to financial opportunity. One number — shaped by past circumstances that may no longer reflect current reality — determines who gets approved and who gets turned away. Pennie, the consumer-first loan marketplace at trypennie.com, is challenging that model with an income-focused approach that evaluates borrowers on what matters most: their ability to repay.
Beyond The Credit Score
Traditional lenders treat credit scores as the primary filter, which shuts out borrowers recovering from job loss, medical debt, divorce, or other setbacks. Pennie's income-focused network takes a different view. The platform connects borrowers with lending partners who evaluate earning power, employment stability, and current financial capacity — not just a three-digit number from the past.
This income-driven approach opens doors for workers with steady paychecks but damaged credit. Gig workers with multiple income streams, essential workers rebuilding after hardship, recent graduates with thin credit files — these are the borrowers traditional lenders overlook. The Pennie platform serves them.
"Too many people are locked out of lending because of something that happened years ago," said Sam Mkhitaryan, Co-founder of Pennie. "If you have steady income and the ability to repay, that should be emphasized more than an old missed payment."
The results speak for themselves: 32 million people have been funded through the Pennie platform. In 2024 alone, the platform facilitated 350 million loan offers and processed over 200 million customer inquiries.
How The Platform Works
Borrowers complete a 60-second application — no lengthy paperwork, no hard credit pull. The Pennie platform gathers basic information about income, employment, and existing debts, then matches borrowers with personalized offers from its nationwide lending network.
Qualified applicants can access funding as soon as next day. Loan amounts reach up to $250,000 with repayment terms up to 10 years and starting APRs as low as 5.99%, depending on the borrower's profile and lender criteria. Borrowers review multiple offers side-by-side — comparing rates, terms, and monthly payments — before deciding whether to proceed.
The entire process stays within the Pennie platform. No flood of calls from outside marketers. No data sold to third parties. Borrowers remain in control from application to funding.
Privacy And Trust
Pennie does not sell or share customer data. The platform uses soft-pull credit checks that don't affect a borrower's score, and all communication happens directly through Pennie — not through a maze of third-party contacts.
This commitment to privacy has earned Pennie a 4.9 rating on Trustpilot, with borrowers praising the straightforward process and respectful experience.
A New Standard For Lending
Income-focused lending represents a fundamental shift in how Americans access credit. Rather than punishing borrowers for past circumstances, the model rewards current stability and earning power. For the millions of workers whose credit scores don't reflect their true financial capacity, Pennie offers a path forward.
The Pennie platform proves that loan marketplaces can serve everyday borrowers without sacrificing privacy or transparency. For Americans who have been told "no" based on a credit score alone, income-driven qualification changes the answer.
