Loanpal
Loanpal, formerly Paramount Equity LLC, is a California-based finance technology company that provides financing options for the residential solar industry. The company was founded in 2003 as Paramount Equity and was later rebranded to Loanpal. As of 2020, Loanpal is responsible for 41% of the solar loan market in the U.S. and is the top solar lender in the country.[1]
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Type | Private |
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Industry | Finance and Mortgage |
Founded | 2003 (as Paramount Equity) |
Founder | Hayes Barnard Jason Walker Matt Dawson |
Headquarters | 8781 Sierra College Blvd, Roseville, CA 95661 |
Products | Mortgage |
Services | Residential solar and battery storage loans, FHA insured loan, Conventional Loans, Refinance and Home Purchase Loans, VA Loans |
Number of employees | 900 |
Website | loanpal.com |
The company employs about 900 people[1] and has won Sacramento Business Journals "A+ Employee Choice Award" in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010.[2]
Leadership
Hayes Barnard is currently the Chairman and CEO.[3][4] Tanguy Serra, the former president of SolarCity, is Loanpal’s President and Chief Investment Officer.[5]
Ownership Structure
Loanpal is a finance technology company headquartered in San Francisco, CA.[6] Loanpal offers consumers access to a variety of residential lending products including mortgages, solar financing and home improvement loans.[7] The company has loaned more than $27 billion to over 125,000 customers across 50 states.[7][3] Loanpal is an approved seller-service of both government sponsored entities, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and has raised over $635 million in funding for its consumer finance loans.[5][8] 80% of the top 50 solar operations use the Loanpal platform.[3][6]
In January 2021, Loanpal raised $800 million in a funding round led by New Enterprise Associates, West Cap Group, Brookfield Asset Management, and Riverstone Holdings.[9][10]
History
Loanpal, originally named Paramount Equity Mortgage, was founded in 2003 by Hayes Barnard, Jason Walker and Matt Dawson.[11][12] The company was incorporated in California to provide residential mortgage loans.[13] Although they launched in California’s Sacramento Valley, the company quickly started branching out to other states and is now lending nationwide.[14]
In 2006, the founders launched an insurance company focused on auto and home insurance. After 10+ years offering insurance services, the company sold its insurance company to Brown and Brown.
In 2009, the founders saw another opportunity to enter the quickly emerging residential solar market and Paramount Solar was established.[13] After building an efficient residential solar sales and marketing platform, the company was approached in 2013 by SolarCity (now Tesla Energy) and Paramount Solar was sold in a transaction valued at approximately $120 million.[15]
In 2011, Loanpal (known as Paramount Equity at the time) took on an equity investment from Guthy-Renker, the nation's largest direct-to-consumer marketing company.[16] In December 2017, Paramount began originating residential solar loans and later rebranded as Loanpal.[13]
In 2017, the company was chosen as the Best Places to Work by the Sacramento Business Journal.[17]
In 2019, Loanpal announced a partnership with PenFed Credit Union.[18] The companies use Loanpal’s technology platform to make clean energy products more accessible to homeowners.[18] Under the partnership, PenFed uses Loanpal’s platform to deploy capital, while Loanpal manages the lending experience, including installer management, origination, funding, and servicing.[4] As of 2019, Loanpal is responsible for 30% of all new residential loans in the U.S. and is the top solar lender in the country.[18][5]
In 2020, the team launched its online platform for financing additional energy-efficient home improvement products including battery storage, roofing, windows, landscaping and turf, LED lighting, water efficiency, and HVAC systems.[19][20]
In 2020, Loanpal was selected as one of Inc.’s Best Workplaces.[21]
In June 2020, Goldman Sachs securitized $459 million worth of Loanpal loans they had previously purchased and expanded their warehouse facility to $300 million with Loanpal. Goldman Sachs also committed to buying $320 million in loans from Loanpal.[22] By October 2020, the company had funded over $4.5 billion in solar loans[23] and closed a securitization of $434 million worth of Loanpal loans in November 2020.[24]
Loanpal offers homeowners the option of bundling their solar loans into conventional mortgages.[5] This allows customers to spread payments out over decades and lowers costs.[5] Bundled loans are written in two steps: first, solar panel installers present Loanpal as a financing option. Then, once the solar project finance deal is complete, homeowners are given the option to tuck the loan into an overall refinancing of their mortgage.[7] The solar loans are funded through warehouse lines with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Western Alliance Bancorp, and mortgages are sold to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac. and others.[5]
Through Loanpal’s direct pay program, the company contributes $20 to GivePower for each loan sold. Each $20 contribution is enough to provide clean water for one person for 20 years.[25]
References
- Levy, Ari (2021-01-27). "Exec who quit SolarCity now runs the leading lender for solar installations". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
- http://www.paramountequity.com/press-A+-2010.php
- "This former SolarCity exec is trying to reinvent 2 parts of the solar business". Business Insider. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
- "PenFed Credit Union Teams With Loanpal on Solar Installation Loans". NMP. 2019-12-02. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
- "Ex-SolarCity Execs Are Baking Solar Loans Into Mortgages". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
- "The 3 main trends driving the imminent solar energy revolution". Inverse. 2019-05-04. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
- "Loanpal Rockets to Second-Largest Solar Loan Provider in the US". Green Tech Media. 2019-04-22.
- "Loanpal secures more funding for residential solar loans". Solar Power World. 2020-01-13. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
- "Renewable investment wave continues as solar lending company Loanpal raises $800 million". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
- "Loanpal raises $800 million to grow home efficiency financing". Sacramento Business Journal. 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
- "Paramount Equity Mortgage grows by staying focused on core business". The Business Journals Sacramento. 2017-09-22. Retrieved 2020-02-27.
- "California Lender Paramount Equity Pairs with Infomercial Creator Guthy-Renker". American Banker. 2011-03-08. Retrieved 2020-02-27.
- "Tesla's solar retreat provides opening for Loanpal's return". Asset Securitization Report. 2019-03-07. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
- "Loanpal, LLC". NMLS Consumer Access. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
- "SolarCity Buys Paramount Solar To Boost Homeowner Outreach". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
- "Infomercial Icon Guthy-Renker to Enter the Mortgage Business". National Mortgage Professional Magazine. 2011-03-08. Retrieved 2020-03-25.
- "Best Places to Work 2017". Sacramento Business Journal. 2017-10-20. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
- "PenFed Credit Union, Loanpal partner on residential solar financing options". Solar Power World. 2019-12-02. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
- "Loanpal secures more funding for residential solar loans". Solar Power World. 2020-01-13.
- Misbrener, Kelsey. "Loanpal secures more funding for residential solar loans". Solar Power World. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
- "Loanpal". Inc. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
- "Goldman to Buy $320 Million of Loans From Solar Lender Loanpal". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
- "In a Year of Turmoil, Residential Solar Assets Are a Safe-Haven Investment". www.greentechmedia.com. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
- "Loanpal completes largest securitization of residential solar loans | Solar Builder". Solar Builder Magazine. 2020-11-30. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
- "This Loanpal Direct Pay Program for solar installers eases the burden of equipment financing". Solar Builder Mag. Retrieved 2020-05-11.