GoodLeap
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA U.S. financing platform for residential solar energy and other sustainable home improvements.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
GoodLeap is a privately held U.S. consumer-finance and sustainable-home-improvement financing company headquartered in Roseville, California. The company provides financing intended to help homeowners purchase and install residential solar systems and a broader set of energy-efficiency and electrification products. Its offering has expanded beyond solar to include products such as battery storage, heating and cooling equipment, energy-efficient windows, and other home improvements that can reduce energy consumption or improve household resilience. The business developed from Paramount Equity Mortgage, a residential mortgage originator established in 2003 by Hayes Barnard, Jason Walker, and Matt Dawson. The company initially operated in mortgage lending and later extended its activities into insurance and renewable-energy finance. In 2009 it created Paramount Solar, a subsidiary focused on solar financing and related services. Paramount Solar was sold to SolarCity in 2013 in a transaction reported at approximately $120 million; SolarCity was subsequently acquired by Tesla and became part of Tesla Energy. The company began originating residential solar loans under the Paramount platform in December 2017 and subsequently adopted the Loanpal name. Under Loanpal, it developed relationships with financial institutions and solar installers, expanded its national lending activity, and introduced an online financing platform in 2020. Its growth was supported by warehouse facilities, loan purchases, securitizations, and private-capital investments. In 2021, the company announced two large funding rounds involving institutional investors including New Enterprise Associates, Brookfield Asset Management, Riverstone Holdings, MSD Partners, BDT Capital Partners, and Davidson Kempner. Loanpal changed its name to GoodLeap in June 2021. The rebrand signaled a strategic move from a predominantly solar-finance identity toward a wider sustainable-home-improvement platform. The company presents financing as a way to lower the upfront cost of improvements while connecting homeowners, contractors, and capital providers. Its model depends on contractor and installer partnerships, consumer loan origination, servicing, and capital-markets activity rather than on manufacturing the equipment it finances. GoodLeap has reported substantial scale in the U.S. residential-improvement market. According to the cited Wikipedia account, by 2025 it had facilitated more than $30 billion in loans for over one million homeowners across all 50 states and employed approximately 1,300 people. It maintains locations in Roseville, San Francisco, Irvine, Phoenix, Kansas City, and Bentonville, Arkansas. In August 2024, it launched GoodGrid in California, a virtual-power-plant initiative designed to aggregate participating customer batteries and support grid reliability. The company has also faced regulatory and customer-lending scrutiny. A 2008 Washington mortgage case involving its predecessor alleged deceptive lending and disclosure practices and concluded with a settlement that included a state payment, customer restitution, and advertising and operational changes. More recently, customers have brought litigation and arbitration claims alleging misleading loan terms, unauthorized enrollment, or burdensome financing arrangements. In March 2024, the Minnesota attorney general sued GoodLeap and other solar-finance companies, alleging violations of state rules concerning deceptive trade practices, lending, and interest rates. GoodLeap has said it terminated fraudulent liens and loans in Orleans Parish and has emphasized efforts to improve transparency and address customer concerns.
History
GoodLeap traces its origins to Paramount Equity Mortgage, which was founded in California in 2003 by Hayes Barnard, Jason Walker, and Matt Dawson. The original business specialized in residential mortgage lending and developed a nationwide lending footprint after starting in the Sacramento Valley. In 2006, the founders also established an insurance business serving automobile and home customers. That insurance operation was later sold to Brown & Brown after more than a decade of activity. The company entered renewable-energy finance in 2009 by establishing Paramount Solar. This subsidiary addressed the emerging market for residential solar systems and associated financing. Paramount Solar was sold to SolarCity in 2013 for a reported transaction value of about $120 million. SolarCity later became part of Tesla after Tesla acquired the company, linking Paramount Solar's history to the development of Tesla Energy. Paramount Equity received an equity investment from Guthy-Renker in 2011. Beginning in December 2017, the company originated residential solar loans through its broader platform. It later adopted the Loanpal name, under which it became increasingly identified with solar lending. Loanpal worked with installers, homeowners, banks, and institutional capital providers to fund residential solar projects. In 2019, it announced a partnership with PenFed Credit Union, and the company reported a significant share of newly originated U.S. residential solar loans. Loanpal introduced an online platform in 2020, making it easier for homeowners and contractors to arrange financing during the sales and installation process. Its growth was accompanied by capital-markets activity. In 2020, Goldman Sachs securitized hundreds of millions of dollars of Loanpal loans, expanded a warehouse facility, and committed to purchasing additional loans. By October of that year, the company said it had funded more than $4.5 billion in solar loans and had become one of the largest, or the largest, U.S. solar lenders depending on the market measure used. The company raised substantial private funding in 2021. A January round was led by New Enterprise Associates and included West Cap Group, Brookfield Asset Management, and Riverstone Holdings. A further round announced in October involved MSD Partners, BDT Capital Partners, and Davidson Kempner. The company stated that its cumulative funding raised during that period exceeded $1 billion. In June 2021, Loanpal changed its corporate brand to GoodLeap. The new name reflected an expansion beyond solar into energy-efficient windows, HVAC, battery storage, and other sustainable home solutions. Rather than positioning itself solely as a solar lender, GoodLeap presented itself as a financing infrastructure provider for contractors and homeowners pursuing lower-energy or lower-carbon residences. In December 2022, GoodLeap formed an advisory council that included business figures and public personalities such as Tony Gonzalez, Edward Norton, Shailene Woodley, and Jeff Immelt. By December 2023, John Shrewsberry, a former Wells Fargo chief financial officer, was serving as GoodLeap's CFO, while Daniel Lotano, formerly associated with EverBright, was serving as chief strategy officer. Hayes Barnard remained chairman and chief executive officer. In August 2024, GoodLeap launched GoodGrid in California. The initiative was designed as a virtual power plant, coordinating customer-sited batteries so that distributed storage could contribute to grid reliability. By 2025, the company was described as having facilitated more than $30 billion in loans for over one million homeowners across all 50 U.S. states, with approximately 1,300 employees and offices in several U.S. cities. GoodLeap's expansion has occurred alongside scrutiny of consumer-protection and lending practices. In 2008, Washington mortgage regulators alleged that Paramount Equity Mortgage engaged in deceptive practices involving fees, interest-rate reductions, and required disclosures. The matter ended in a settlement requiring payment to the state, restitution to affected customers, advertising changes, and other compliance measures. In the 2020s, customers filed litigation and arbitration claims alleging that they were misled about loan terms or enrolled without authorization. In March 2024, Minnesota's attorney general filed a case against GoodLeap and other solar-finance companies, alleging deceptive trade practices, deceptive lending, and unlawful interest rates. GoodLeap has reported cancelling fraudulent liens and loans in Orleans Parish and has stated that it is working to improve transparency and resolve customer complaints.
- 2024
GoodGrid launched
[1]The company launches a California virtual power plant initiative using participating customer batteries.
- 2022
Advisory council formed
[1]GoodLeap establishes an advisory council including business leaders and public personalities.
- 2021
Loanpal rebrands as GoodLeap
[1]The company adopts GoodLeap to reflect its broader sustainable-home-improvement strategy.
- 2020
Online financing platform launched
[1]Loanpal introduces an online platform for arranging sustainable-home financing.
- 2019
PenFed partnership announced
[1]Loanpal announces a partnership with PenFed Credit Union as it expands its solar-finance distribution and funding network.
- 2017
Residential solar-loan origination begins
[1]The company begins originating residential solar loans through its mortgage-finance platform.
- 2013
Paramount Solar sold to SolarCity
[1]The solar subsidiary is sold to SolarCity in a transaction reported at approximately $120 million.
- 2009
Paramount Solar is established
[1]The company creates a solar-focused subsidiary to finance residential renewable-energy installations.
- 2006
Insurance business established
[1]The founders launch an automobile and home insurance business, which is later sold to Brown & Brown.
- 2003
Paramount Equity Mortgage is founded
[1]Hayes Barnard, Jason Walker, and Matt Dawson establish a California residential mortgage lender that becomes the foundation of GoodLeap.
Products and positioning
Sustainable-home-improvement fintech focused on financing solar, electrification, energy efficiency, and related residential upgrades.
Consumer finance · 2017
Residential solar loans
Financing for homeowners purchasing and installing residential photovoltaic systems. GoodLeap's solar-loan business connects homeowners and installation contractors with loan funding and servicing infrastructure, allowing projects to be paid for over time rather than entirely at installation.
Consumer finance · 2021
Sustainable home-improvement financing
A broader financing category covering home improvements intended to improve energy efficiency, electrification, resilience, or household sustainability. The platform has been associated with products including energy-efficient windows, HVAC equipment, battery storage, and other residential upgrades.
Virtual power plant · 2024
GoodGrid
A California virtual power plant initiative that aggregates participating customer batteries. By coordinating distributed storage, GoodGrid is intended to help improve grid reliability while providing a network-level use for batteries installed at individual homes.
Controversies
2024
Minnesota deceptive-lending lawsuit
The Minnesota attorney general sued GoodLeap and other solar lenders, alleging violations involving deceptive trade practices, deceptive lending, and unlawfully high interest rates. The allegations were disputed litigation claims rather than established findings in the supplied source.
2008
Washington mortgage-practices settlement
Washington regulators alleged that Paramount Equity Mortgage charged or collected unearned fees, charged for interest-rate reductions that were not delivered, failed to make required disclosures, and presented disclosures deceptively. The resulting settlement required a payment to the state, restitution to 52 customers, advertising changes, and other corrective measures.
Brand decisions
2024
Launch of GoodGridProduct launchBackground
Growing deployment of residential batteries created an opportunity to coordinate distributed storage for electricity-grid services.
Action taken
GoodLeap launched GoodGrid in California as a virtual power plant initiative aggregating customer batteries.
Aftermath
The initiative extended GoodLeap's role from financing home improvements into distributed-energy coordination and grid-support services.
2021
Rebrand from Loanpal to GoodLeapStrategyBackground
The company had become strongly associated with residential solar lending but intended to finance a wider group of sustainable home solutions.
Action taken
Loanpal adopted the GoodLeap brand and expanded its stated scope to products such as efficient windows, HVAC systems, and battery storage.
Aftermath
The rebrand repositioned the company as a broader sustainable-home-improvement finance platform rather than a solar-only lender.
Recent events
Sources2 sources
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