Prosper - eLoans for the rest of us

I wrote up Prosper.com a couple of weeks ago. Now, Springwise provides a great overview of the idea behind Prosper with some hints at the potential.

But the big challenge -- as in any marketplace, but especially one revolving around the transfer of funds -- is reputation. Before I cut a check for $5,000 to someone I've only met over the web, I'd need to be absolutely sure that the loan is secured by confirmation of identity and reputation. That's truly going to be the hard part.

If Prosper does get some traction, though, perhaps they could use Google's new Reputation Service for its GoogleBase classifieds offering.