Is Jenius Bank legit?
Jenius Bank is a legitimate online lender, the digital banking division of SMBC MANUBANK and a member of SMBC Group, a global banking organization. The Jenius brand is new as of July 2023, but it has hundreds of years of banking experience behind it.
Jenius Bank uses advanced security measures to safeguard your information from cyber threats. It also has a clear and detailed privacy policy that can be viewed on its website, and there’s an option to set your data preferences.
What makes Jenius Bank shine?
It’s great that Jenius Bank doesn’t charge any fees for its personal loans. This stance is a departure from most lenders that usually at least charge late fees, if not origination fees or other charges.
We also like that it offers 24/7 US-based customer support by phone, which is something you don’t see very often.
Where Jenius Bank falls short
It’s a little odd that you can’t apply for a Jenius Bank personal loan directly from Jenius Bank, especially since it’s a direct lender. Instead, you have to apply through either Credit Karma or LendingTree. But it’s not clear why. We called to ask and the customer service representative just said that they don’t do that and you need to go through a third party. A spokesperson for the company did reach out and said Jenius was exploring new options to offer the loan through other channels. Jenius Bank does service the loans, however, once you’re approved.
Jenius also doesn’t list its requirements to qualify — even if you call to ask — making it difficult for borrowers to compare it against other options before applying. LendingTree says in its review of Jenius that it requires a 680 credit score, but we were unable to confirm that.
Jenius Bank personal loan details
| Minimum credit score/credit range | 680 |
| APR | 9.49% to 23.49% (includes autopay discount) |
| Loan amount | $5,000 to $50,000 |
| Terms | 36 to 72 months |
| Approval turnaround | As soon as the next business day |
| Availability | Not available in: Hawaii, Nevada, Wisconsin |
| Fees | Jenius doesn’t charge origination fees, late fees or prepayment penalties |
| Other fees | None |
Jenius Bank contact info
| Phone number | 844-453-6487 |
| Customer service hours | 24/7 |
| Undisclosed | |
| X, formerly Twitter | @jeniusbank |
| Jenius Bank |
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| Principal | $ |
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| Interest | $ |
| Total Cost | $ |
How to qualify for Jenius personal loans
Jenius doesn’t get into many specifics about how to qualify for its loans, but we were able to uncover a few basics.
- 680 credit score
- At least 18 years old
- Employed or with a regular income source
- A US citizen
How to apply
Since you can’t apply for a Jenius personal loan directly from the lender, you’ll need to go through either Credit Karma or LendingTree. If you’re a Credit Karma member, you can log in to review your offers and one of those might be an offer from Jenius. If so, follow the steps to apply.
If you’re not a Credit Karma member or you go through the LendingTree site, you can only apply for a personal loan in general. You’ll fill out their online applications and be presented with up to five offers — one of which may be from Jenius Bank.
How Jenius bank compares to other lenders
What is the Finder Score?
The Finder Score crunches 6+ types of personal loans across 50+ lenders. It takes into account the product’s interest rate, fees and features, as well as the type of loan eg investor, variable, fixed rate – this gives you a simple score out of 10.
Read the full Finder Score breakdown
Jenius Bank reviews and complaints
| BBB accredited |
No |
|---|---|
| BBB rating |
A+ |
| BBB customer reviews |
5 out of 5 stars, based on 1 customer reviews |
| Trustpilot Score |
1.8 out of 5 stars, based on 46 customer reviews. |
| Customer reviews verified as of |
11 March 2025 |
Jenius Bank doesn’t have its own Better Business Bureau (BBB) page, but its parent company, SMBC MANUBANK, does. However, while it has an A+ rating, it’s not accredited and there’s only one review. Jenius Bank only started offering personal loans in 2023, which could explain the lack of reviews.
It doesn’t have a ton of reviews on Trustpilot either, and most of those aren’t great, although the majority of negative comments are about savings accounts, not loans. Still, some loan reviewers complained of having to upload an excessive amount of documentation, trouble reaching a loan specialist and getting denied for a loan even with a good credit score.
What do people on Reddit say?
A few people claim to have had issues with personal loans from Jenius Bank, but most customers posting on Reddit give the company high praise. Positive reviews cite fast funding, good rates, an easy application process and helpful customer service.
Frequently asked questions
Does applying for a Jenius Bank loan affect my credit score?
When you fill out the initial application at Credit Karma or LendingTree, there’s a soft credit check to prequalify. If you get an offer from Jenius and decide to proceed with the application, a hard credit check is required, which usually causes your score to temporarily drop a few points.
How do I make my Jenius personal loan payments?
You have several options to choose from. The easiest way is to set up autopay — and earn a 0.25% rate discount — and have your monthly payments automatically deducted from your account. Or you can download the Jenius Bank mobile app or log in to your account at jeniusbank.com and make your payments from there. You can even go old school and mail a check if you prefer.
