I was denied a personal loan. What should I do next?

Under the federal Equal Credit Opportunity Act (Regulation B), every declined application triggers a written adverse action notice within 30 days. The notice names the specific reasons (low score, high DTI, short employment history, recent derogatory marks) and the credit-reporting agency used.

Use the notice as a checklist. If the top reason is high credit utilisation, pay down a card balance. If it is short credit history, wait and let accounts age. If it is recent inquiries, stop applying for two or three months. Each fix raises your score on the next pull.

Different lenders weight risk differently, so a denial at one lender does not mean denial everywhere. Once you have addressed the named reason, re-apply with a different marketplace or a lender that targets your credit tier. Soft-pull pre-qualification will not hurt your score.