A finance company is an organization that provides financial services to individuals and businesses. It is often used interchangeably with terms like financial institution, lending institution, and credit union. However, there are some subtle differences between each term. For example, financial institutions are typically large, well-established organizations that offer a wide range of financial services, while lending institutions primarily focus on providing loans. Credit unions are member-owned financial cooperatives that operate for the benefit of their members. Other synonyms for finance companies include investment banks, private equity firms, and venture capital firms, all of which specialize in different forms of financing and investment management.