LendioFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Lendio franchise requires a total initial investment of $46K – $117K, including a $46K franchise fee and an ongoing 30.0% royalty[2]. The 2022 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2022 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $46K – $117K
- 16th pct Financial Ser…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 30th pct Financial Ser…
- Royalty
- 30.0%
- 49th pct Financial Ser…
- Units
- 121
- 44th pct Financial Ser…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Financial Services · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Financial Services avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Franchised units fell from 121 to 56 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
The franchisor's auditor raised doubt about continued operations. This is a serious risk signal.
Bottom line
- Total investment $46K – $117K including a $46K franchise fee, 30.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 46/100.
- Auditor disclosed a going-concern note, which flagged doubt about the franchisor's ability to continue operations. Verify against the latest FDD.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Lendio Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Lendio, Inc.
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 4100 North Chapel Ridge Road, Suite 500, Lehi, Utah 84043
- Auditor
- Tanner LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $15.2M
- vs $4.7M prior year
- ⚠ Going-concern note
- Disclosed in FDD 2022
- Status as of 2022; may have been resolved in a later filing we don't yet have.
Overview
About
Lendio franchisees operate as loan brokers/lead generators, connecting small business owners with lending options and alternative financing products. Day-to-day operations involve prospecting, client consultations, loan application processing, and relationship management with lenders. Franchisees typically earn commissions on funded loans, with the franchisor taking a substantial cut as royalties.
- CEO
- Brock Blake
- Headquarters
- UT
- Founded
- 2016
- FDD year
- 2022
- States available
- 30
FDD Item 7 · 2022 filing · 14 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $35K | $46K | |
| Opening Kitnot refundable | $2K | $8K | |
| Rent - 3 months | $0 | $9K | |
| Utility & Security Deposits | $0 | $1K | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $0 | $5K | |
| Furniture and Fixtures | $0 | $3K | |
| Computer System, Equipment & Supplies | $1K | $8K | |
| Business Licenses | $250 | $3K | |
| Legal and Accounting Fees | $1K | $3K | |
| Initial Marketing Expenditures | $3K | $12K | |
| Insurance | $1K | $2K | |
| Technology Fees - 3 monthsnot refundable | $900 | $900 | |
| Travel Expenses for Initial Training | $1K | $7K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months | $2K | $12K | |
| Total initial investment | $46K | $117K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $46K – $117K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $2K – $12K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $46K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 30.0%
- Business Generation Fee · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 32.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 30.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $300 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $9K |
| Total fee load | 32.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Financial Services averages
How Lendio Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 121
- Opened
- 56
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 2
- Terminated
- 2
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 1.7%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 50.0%
- Net growth (yr3)
- +80.6%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +116.1%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 3
- Transfer rate
- 2.5%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Continuity rate
- 98.4%
- Units that stayed open
- Termination rate
- 1.6%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 20 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Lendio presents meaningful financial transparency risks with an unusually punitive royalty model, missing profitability data, and rapid but unvalidated unit growth in a highly regulated industry.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Tanner LLC⚠ Going-concern note flagged
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 46 / 100 rating
- 01MINORExtremely high royalty structure (30-70% of gross revenues) leaves minimal profit margin for franchisees
- 02MINORNo average revenue or net income disclosure in FDD Item 19 prevents realistic ROI modeling
- 03MINORUnit growth of 80.6% YoY suggests either aggressive recruitment or system instability; cannot assess unit quality
- 04MINORWide investment range ($45,650-$117,100) indicates inconsistent territory valuations or hidden costs
- 05MINOR5-year term is shorter than industry standard (10 years), creating renewal uncertainty and frequent renegotiation risk
- 06MINORLending/fintech sector faces increasing regulatory scrutiny; compliance costs not addressed in investment figures
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Number of small businesses |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 1.5 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Governing law | Utah |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 40 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- POS system
- Zoho CRM
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Zoho CRM
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
30 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Lendio · FDD (2022) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Lendio franchise?
The total investment to open a Lendio franchise ranges from $46K – $117K, with an initial franchise fee of $46K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Lendio franchise owners earn?
Lendio does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Lendio's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Lendio (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Lendio franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Lendio has 121 total units in the United States, including 121 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 56 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Lendio a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Lendio as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 46 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.