Earnest and FinWise Bank Announce Strategic Partnership to Support Growing Portfolio of In-School Student Loans

Companies Advance Shared Commitment to Affordable and Responsible Financing

Earnest, a fintech company empowering students to maximize their financial futures, has partnered with FinWise Bank, a subsidiary of FinWise Bancorp, to enhance its portfolio of Private Student Loan products, including for parents, undergraduate, and graduate students. This collaboration supports Earnest’s ongoing commitment to provide innovative and impactful products that help students and their families pay for college when federal aid is insufficient.

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FinWise Bank is Earnest’s newest banking partner to originate Private Student Loans. Borrowers can expect to receive the same care and servicing support, from application to loan payoff, from Earnest’s highly-rated Client Happiness Team. They will also continue to benefit from FinWise Bank’s expertise with local, state, and federal banking regulations, including consumer protection laws.

“We’re relentless in our pursuit of responsible solutions for students and families needing education financing,” said David Green, CEO of Earnest. “Our flexible loan terms, low rates, and personalized guidance have led to increased demand for our in-school loans. Collaborating with FinWise Bank helps us to scale the number of borrowers we can thoughtfully support. Working with a partner who shares our vision and has deep regulatory expertise allows us to focus on what we do best: meeting our customers’ needs.”

Born as a community bank, FinWise Bank is deeply committed to using innovative technology to support financially wise decisions. This partnership expands the organization’s growing portfolio of bank-fintech partnerships that share its vision for equity, transformation, and inclusion at every level of financial decision-making.

“FinWise continues to build on our success working with modern and inventive fintech companies to make banking easier, more transparent, and more affordable,” said Jim Noone, President of FinWise. “Earnest is an industry-leading fintech lender that has helped more than 240,000 students nationwide gain access to higher education or reduce the total cost. We look forward to helping grow that impact by expanding in-school loan access to more students and their families.”

For more information about Earnest’s Private Student Loan products, visit earnest.com/student-loans.

About Earnest:

Earnest empowers past, present, and soon-to-be students to maximize their financial futures through thoughtful guidance and impactful products. Founded in 2013 on the belief that financially responsible people deserve better options and access to credit, Earnest's education tools and lending products empower anyone seeking higher education to reduce the total price tag of their education, supercharge their ability to pay down student debt, and get on the right financial track fast. Learn more at earnest.com.

Earnest is a subsidiary of Navient (Nasdaq: NAVI).

Earnest Private Student Loans are made by One American Bank, Member FDIC, or FinWise Bank, Member FDIC. One American Bank, 515 S. Minnesota Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57104. Finwise Bank, 756 East Winchester, Suite 100, Murray, UT 84107

Earnest loans are serviced by Earnest Operations LLC, 535 Mission St., Suite 1663 San Francisco, CA 94105, NMLS #1204917, with support From Navient Solutions, LLC (NMLS #212430). One American Bank, FinWise Bank, and Earnest LLC and its subsidiaries, including Earnest Operations LLC, are not sponsored by agencies of the United States of America.

© 2024 Earnest LLC. All rights reserved.

About FinWise Bank

FinWise Bank is a state-chartered bank and a wholly-owned subsidiary of FinWise Bancorp (Nasdaq: FINW), a Utah bank holding company headquartered in Murray, Utah. FinWise leverages strategic relationships with third-party loan origination platforms, proprietary loan analytics technology, and a seasoned management team to efficiently deliver innovative lending solutions to small businesses and individuals. For more information on FinWise Bank, visit www.finwise.bank.

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“We’re relentless in our pursuit of responsible solutions for students/families needing education financing. FinWise shares our vision and has deep regulatory expertise, allowing us to continue meeting our customers’ needs,” said David Green, CEO, Earnest.