Headshot of Carol Pope

Carol Pope

Staff Writer

Carol Pope is a staff writer for LendingTree, where she focuses on personal and auto loans. Her goal is to help readers manage debt, improve their credit scores and find the lowest rates on loans.

Carol got her start as an insurance writer for Bankrate. Since she’s a Floridian, her favorite beat was the Florida homeowners insurance crisis and flood insurance. She also served as a media spokesperson, giving and conducting interviews with other industry experts.

In 2023, Carol exited the insurance space and joined LendingTree’s personal and auto loans teams. With the right know-how, she’s confident that many readers can find a loan within their budget. And if a loan is out of reach, she can give you tools that may help make loans more affordable down the line.

Before writing professionally, Carol was a Geico auto insurance agent. She sold and serviced thousands of policies and trained newly-licensed agents.

When she’s not writing, you’ll find Carol running and volunteering with the Lakeland Runners Club.


Specialties

  • Personal and auto loan lender reviews
  • Consolidation and debt management strategies
  • Rate shopping
  • Credit score improvement
  • Budgeting techniques

Achievements

  • 2+ years of personal finance writing experience
  • 14 years of insurance experience
  • Nearly 100 articles written for LendingTree
  • Created a study to find the average car payment for some of America’s most popular makes and models

Education

  • BA, University of Michigan – Flint
  • Licensed insurance agent (2-20, general lines)

Carol’s favorite strategy for improving credit scores

If you have little-to-no credit, I’d suggest a credit-builder loan. According to a study conducted by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, borrowers were 24% more likely to have a credit score after using a credit-builder loan as intended. 

For those looking to improve their credit score, becoming an authorized signer on someone else’s credit card can be a quick way to get a boost (assuming the cardholder has good credit).

Articles by Carol Pope

Dodge Financing: What To Know Before You Buy

Taking a new Charger for a test drive? Fun. Securing Dodge financing? Not so much. Even so, reviewing your loan options can help you find... read more

Discover Personal Loan Review

4.5 LendingTree Rating Accessibility Rates & terms Repayment experience Jump to: Our Methodology Our Methodology To come up with our star rating for personal loan... read more

Debt Consolidation vs. Bankruptcy: Which Is Right for You?

Consolidating debt can help you get a lower interest rate, but you’ll still have to pay what you owe. Bankruptcy might eliminate your debt, but... read more

How to File for Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

Under Chapter 13 bankruptcy, you don’t have to sell your property. Instead, you’ll use your earnings to pay your debt (partially or in full) with... read more

How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

The word bankruptcy is enough to make anyone nervous, but it can provide a fresh start if you’re out of options. Even so, this decision... read more

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