social lending

" ... Pouring your cash into the far reaches of the world wide web may sound like a crazy idea.

 

After all, the internet has seen its fair share of nasties from phishing e-mails posing as a bank to key logging software pinching our passwords and personal information, all in an effort to steal our identity and cash.

But now there is a wave of sites trying to convince people that the web is the place for their money.

The concept is called social lending and the idea is to introduce people who need money to people who want to lend some - cutting out the middlemen like banks and mortgage companies. ... "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/6623267.stm