# Earnest

Earnest is an Asset Manager based in Atlanta, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Asset Manager
- **Headquarters:** Atlanta, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** San Francisco, CA, United States
- **Founded:** 2013
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** earnest.com
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/earnest

## Regulatory record

- **CRD number:** 107926
- **SEC file number:** 801-56189
- **Registration status:** Registered
- **Reports private funds:** Yes
- **IAPD record:** https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/107926

## About

The award-winning agency chasing the humdrum out of B2B marketing – in London and New York. | The award-winning agency that drove the humdrum out of B2B marketing for 15 years. Now part of Transmission.

## Sectors

- FinTech
- Private Credit

## People

- Louis Beryl — Co-Founder & CEO
- Benjamin Hutchinson — Co-Founder & CFO

## Questions

### Who runs investment and credit decisions at Earnest?

Louis Beryl returned as CEO in 2023 to oversee the firm's credit strategy and capital allocation (per Bloomberg, 2023). Co-founder Benjamin Hutchinson continues in a senior financial role, and the credit committee evaluates originations through a proprietary model that weights earning potential, savings, and cash flow alongside traditional credit metrics.

### How does Earnest fund its loan book?

Earnest uses warehouse lines and securitization markets rather than retail deposits. The firm originates pools of student, personal, and small-business loans, then distributes or retains tranches based on institutional demand. Its public securitizations are rated by major agencies and marketed to insurance companies and credit funds.

### Is Earnest a bank?

No. Earnest operates as a technology-enabled non-bank originator. It partners with federally chartered institutions for loan issuance but funds, underwrites, and services the paper itself, placing it in the same regulatory category as firms like SoFi and LendingClub.

### What loan products does Earnest originate today?

Earnest originates private student loan refinancing, graduate and medical resident loans, and unsecured personal installment loans. The firm previously offered parental student loans and has signaled exploration into small-business credit facilities (per the firm's website).

### How is Earnest's underwriting different from traditional lenders?

Earnest's proprietary model scores applicants on over 80,000 data points, including education history, debt-to-income trajectory, employment offer letters, and real-time bank-account balances (per the firm's public disclosures). The approach is designed to capture incremental repayment capacity that FICO scores ignore.

## Related profiles

- [ZenMEV](https://altss.com/profile/zenmev)
- [Vesta](https://altss.com/profile/vesta)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

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