Announcing the Winners of the 2025 Tearsheet Lending Awards

Lending is evolving — and so are the players shaping its future.

Each year, the Tearsheet Lending Awards spotlight the lenders, innovators, and products setting new standards for the industry. From breakthrough startups to established leaders, the program highlights companies and products redefining digital lending and expanding access to financial services in underserved markets.

It’s a recognition of progress, creativity, and impact across the lending landscape.

We’re excited to announce the 2025 Tearsheet Lending Award recipients:

Non-Bank Lender of the Year: eCapital

eCapital wins the Non-Bank Lender of the Year award for combining institutional scale with the speed and flexibility of a fintech lender. For over 19 years, the company has provided more than $36 billion in working capital to SMBs across the US, Canada, and the UK. Its covenant-light structures, real-time integrations, and AI-enabled underwriting allowed it to process funding up to 40% faster, giving businesses critical working capital when they needed it most — and setting a new standard for how non-bank lenders can power the real economy.

Best Data Product for Lenders: Ocrolus

Ocrolus earns the Best Data Product for Lenders award for reshaping how lenders turn data into decisions. Its SMB Dashboard brings together over a decade of intelligence — drawn from half a billion bank statement pages and 500+ cash flow data points — into one clean, decision-ready view. Features like the Book Overview Page and Enhanced Account Summary Tab give lenders real-time borrower health, industry context, and financial trends without the drag of manual work. The result: up to 80% faster reviews, sharper credit assessments, and leaner operations. For lenders like Lendr, what once took hours now takes minutes, proving how powerful data can be when it’s accessible, contextual, and built for action.

Best Consumer Lending Program: Best Egg

Best Egg takes home the Best Consumer Lending Program award for its focused approach to helping Americans with limited savings gain real financial control. Serving a segment often overlooked by traditional lenders, Best Egg has funded more than $34.5 billion in personal loans to 2.3 million users, offering flexible secured and unsecured lending options designed to meet practical needs like debt consolidation, home improvements, or emergency expenses. Its Financial Health tools, including credit and debt management features and free credit score monitoring, equip borrowers with clarity and confidence, helping users improve their credit scores by an average of 33 points in just six months. By pairing accessible credit with meaningful financial guidance, Best Egg is addressing everyday financial stressors and giving its customers the tools to build financial stability.

Sustainability Award: Climate First Bank

Climate First Bank receives the Sustainability Award for establishing that a bank can be both financially strong and mission-driven at its core. Founded with the explicit purpose of combating the climate crisis, the bank has embedded sustainability into every product and decision, operating as a net-zero institution from day one. Its deposits directly fund solar energy projects, affordable housing, employee-owned businesses, and other mission-aligned initiatives, investing more than $210 million in 2024 alone. Its solar lending program, now active in all 50 states, has financed the equivalent of 112.5 megawatts of clean energy, with a third of those loans supporting low-to-moderate income communities. With more than $1 billion in assets and a model that blends environmental impact with financial performance, Climate First Bank has set a powerful example for how banking can accelerate a sustainable future.

Bank Lender of the Year: Encore Bank

Encore Bank is recognized as Bank Lender of the Year for redefining what a modern community bank can achieve through smart lending innovation and operational precision. At the core of its approach is a fully integrated digital loan origination system that streamlines everything from consumer loans to complex commercial credit, giving the bank the agility of a fintech with the stability of a traditional institution. By automating manual workflows, enhancing compliance tracking, and improving visibility across the lending process, Encore has delivered faster turnaround times, greater efficiency, and a smoother borrower experience. Its ability to scale responsibly while maintaining strong underwriting discipline made it stand out as a lender that’s not just keeping pace with change, but shaping it.