Table of Contents
- What You're Reviewing
- What Makes a Great Review
- Review Requirements
- What's Not Allowed
- Conflict of Interest Disclosure
- Privacy and Safety
- Verification and Trust
- Editing and Updating Reviews
- Review Moderation
- Reporting and Appeals
- Enforcement
- Contact
1. What You're Reviewing
1.1 Client Reviews Only
Reviews on VerSquare are intended to reflect your experience as a client, customer, or applicant of the Provider or Professional you are reviewing. Reviews based on professional collaborations - such as co-closing a transaction, referring business, or working alongside another provider on a deal - are not permitted. A separate mechanism for professional peer feedback may be available in the future (see Terms of Service, Section 3.7).
1.2 Company Reviews
When you review a company - a lender, brokerage, law firm, or due diligence provider - your review reflects your experience with that organization as a whole. Focus on institutional factors: processes, policies, responsiveness, pricing, terms.
1.3 Professional Reviews
When you review an individual professional - a specific loan officer, broker, or attorney - your review reflects your experience working directly with that person. Focus on their personal competence, communication, expertise, and professionalism.
1.4 Dual Attribution
Your review may be associated with both the professional you worked with and their company. This means:
- If you worked with loan officer Jane Smith at ABC Lending, your review appears on both Jane Smith's profile and ABC Lending's profile
- Your rating contributes to both the professional's and the company's overall scores
- You are affecting two reputations with one review - please ensure your feedback is accurate and fair to both
See Terms of Service, Section 9.1 for more details on dual attribution.
1.5 Portable Professional Reputation
Reviews of individual professionals follow that professional if they change employers.
- If Jane Smith moves from ABC Lending to XYZ Capital, reviews of Jane Smith remain on her profile under her previous employer
- The review's company association reflects where the professional worked at the time of the reviewed experience
- This helps future clients see a professional's full track record
- Your review has lasting, cross-employer impact - it will remain associated with the professional regardless of where they work in the future
The named professional has the right to respond to your review (see Section 6.5 below) and may dispute the attribution if they believe it is incorrect (see Terms of Service, Section 9.3).
2. What Makes a Great Review
2.1 Be Specific and Detailed
Good reviews include:
- Specific details about your experience
- Timeline - when you engaged the professional or company
- Type of service - SBA 7(a) loan, business valuation, legal due diligence, brokerage listing, etc.
- Key moments in your experience, positive and negative
- Outcome of your engagement
2.2 Be Honest and Balanced
- Share both positives and negatives if applicable
- Explain why you had that experience
- Be fair - one bad interaction does not define a professional or business, but patterns matter
2.3 Distinguish Facts from Opinions
Your opinions are protected speech. Statements like "I felt ignored" or "the process took too long for my comfort" express your personal experience and judgment. These are generally not actionable as defamation.
Factual claims carry more responsibility. Statements like "they charged a fee not disclosed in the agreement" or "the documents were filed late" are assertions of fact that you should be prepared to support.
Guidance:
- "I felt the communication was poor" = opinion (protected)
- "They never returned my calls for two weeks" = factual claim (should be accurate)
- "I believe they are dishonest" = opinion (generally protected, but see Section 3.6)
- "They committed fraud on my application" = factual accusation (you should only state this if you have evidence)
2.4 Be Respectful
- Maintain a professional tone - you can be critical without being hostile
- Focus on the service experience, not personal attacks on character
- Avoid profanity and obscenities
- No threats or intimidation
2.5 Add Context
Help others understand your situation:
- Type of business (industry, size, location, etc.)
- Your priorities (speed, rates, expertise, flexibility, communication)
- Any circumstances that might affect your experience
3. Review Requirements
3.1 First-Hand Experience Only
You must have directly engaged or attempted to engage with the professional or company you are reviewing. This includes:
Allowed:
- Reviews based on your own transaction, consultation, or engagement
- Reviews about services you personally received or attempted to receive
- Reviews of professionals you worked with directly
Not Allowed:
- Reviews based on what someone else told you
- Reviews about professionals or companies you have only heard about
- Reviews based on news articles, social media, or online research
- Reviews submitted on behalf of a friend, family member, or business partner
3.2 Recency
Your review should reflect an experience within the past 36 months (3 years).
- Providers and professionals change over time - staff turnover, policy changes, process improvements
- Recent reviews are more useful to current users
- Reviews older than 3 years may be labeled as "older review" or deprioritized at our discretion
- Review scoring applies time decay based on the date of engagement and the date of review to ensure the most current information receives the greatest weight
3.3 One Review Per Professional or Company
You may post one review per professional and one review per company from your account.
- If you worked with the same loan officer on two separate transactions, you may update your existing review
- If you worked with two different loan officers at the same company, you may review each professional separately
You may:
- Edit or update your existing review at any time
- Add new information as your experience continues
You may not:
- Post multiple reviews for the same professional or company
- Delete and re-post to reset the review date
3.4 Age Requirement
You must be 18 years or older to post reviews.
4. What's Not Allowed
4.1 Fake or Fraudulent Reviews
Absolutely prohibited:
- Reviews based on experiences that did not occur
- Reviews posted to benefit or harm a business for reasons unrelated to your experience
- Reviews posted by employees or agents of the reviewed company (without disclosure)
- Reviews posted by competitors to harm a business
- Coordinated review campaigns
- Paying or being paid for reviews
Consequences: Immediate account termination, review removal, and potential legal referral.
4.2 Incentivized Reviews
You may not post reviews in exchange for:
- Payment, compensation, or gifts
- Discounts, rebates, or refunds
- Free products or services
- Entry into contests or prize draws
- Preferential treatment (better loan terms, priority processing)
- Any other benefit
This applies to both positive and negative reviews.
If a provider offers you an incentive for a review, do not accept it and report it to us.
4.3 AI-Generated Reviews
Reviews must reflect your genuine experience in your own words.
Not allowed:
- Using AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.) to generate your review text
- Copying AI-generated review templates with your details filled in
- Having AI write a review based on your description of what happened
Allowed:
- Using spell-check and grammar correction tools
- Using translation tools if English is not your primary language
- Using AI to help organize your thoughts into an outline, provided you write the actual review yourself
Why? AI-generated reviews lack the authentic voice and specific detail that make reviews trustworthy. They also make fraud detection harder, since AI can produce plausible-sounding reviews without any real experience.
4.4 Harmful Content
Do not post content that:
- Threatens, harasses, or bullies anyone
- Contains hate speech or discrimination
- Promotes violence or illegal activities
- Includes obscene, pornographic, or sexually explicit material
- Exploits or harms minors
4.5 Privacy Violations
Do not include:
- Other people's personal contact information (email, phone, address) without their consent
- Social Security numbers, account numbers, or financial identifiers
- Confidential business information you are not authorized to disclose
Note on professional names: You may reference a professional by name if they are listed on VerSquare or if their name is publicly available (e.g., on the company's website). You should not include names of individuals who are not publicly associated with the business.
4.6 Accusations of Criminal Conduct or Professional Misconduct
Be extremely careful with accusations that a professional:
- Committed fraud, theft, or other criminal acts
- Violated professional licensing requirements
- Engaged in discrimination
- Falsified documents or misrepresented material facts
- Was subject to regulatory discipline
If you believe criminal conduct or professional misconduct occurred:
- Report it to the appropriate regulatory authority (state attorney general, SBA Office of Inspector General, state licensing board)
- You may describe your factual experience in your review, but avoid definitive legal conclusions
- Say "I believe my documents were altered" rather than "they committed fraud"
- Say "I filed a complaint with the state licensing board" rather than "they violated their license"
4.7 Defamatory Content
Avoid:
- False statements presented as facts that could harm someone's reputation
- Accusations you cannot support with your direct experience
- Statements that imply undisclosed negative facts ("in my opinion, he's a criminal" implies you know of criminal conduct)
The standard: Stick to what you personally experienced. Your opinions about that experience are generally protected. False statements of fact are not.
4.8 Promotional Content
Your review should not:
- Advertise your own business or services
- Promote competitors of the reviewed provider
- Include affiliate links or referral codes
- Solicit business
4.9 Off-Topic Content
Stay focused on your service experience with the professional or company you are reviewing.
5. Conflict of Interest Disclosure
5.1 When Disclosure Is Required
You must disclose if:
- You are a professional in the same industry as the entity you are reviewing (e.g., you are a lender reviewing another lender)
- You have a current or recent business relationship with the entity beyond the transaction you are reviewing
- You have a personal relationship (family, close friendship) with the professional you are reviewing
- You are a former employee of the company you are reviewing
5.2 How to Disclose
Include a statement within your review identifying the nature of your relationship. For example: "Disclosure: I am a lender in the same market" or "Disclosure: I am a former employee of this company."
5.3 Effect of Non-Disclosure
Reviews where a material conflict of interest is discovered and was not disclosed may be:
- Flagged for additional review
- Labeled with a conflict indicator
- Removed in egregious cases (e.g., competitor sabotage)
6. Privacy and Safety
6.1 Reviewer Identity Protection
- You may use a display name that does not reveal your full identity
- Providers cannot see your email address, phone number, or other contact information
- Your identity is protected from provider retaliation
6.2 Protect Your Own Information
Avoid including in your review:
- Your full name, phone number, email, or physical address
- Your Social Security number, account numbers, or financial details
- Specific loan amounts unless you are comfortable sharing
- Information that could identify you in a small market (e.g., "I own the only hardware store in [small town]")
6.3 Retaliation Prevention
If you experience retaliation from a provider or professional for posting a review:
- Report it to us immediately at support@versquare.com
- Providers and professionals are prohibited from retaliating against reviewers (see Terms of Service, Section 9.5)
- Examples of prohibited retaliation: denying services, threatening legal action, attempting to identify you, harassment
- We take retaliation seriously and may terminate the provider's or professional's account
6.4 Your Rights Under Federal Law
The Consumer Review Fairness Act (15 U.S.C. 45b) protects your right to post honest reviews. Any contract provision that prohibits or penalizes you for posting honest reviews is void and unenforceable. If a provider asks you to sign a non-disparagement clause or threatens penalties for posting a review, report it to us and to the Federal Trade Commission.
6.5 Provider Right of Response
Providers and professionals have the right to post one public response to each review (see Terms of Service, Section 11). You should be aware that:
- The reviewed provider or professional may respond publicly to your review
- Their response will be displayed alongside your review
- Responses must follow the same standards of professionalism and must not disclose your private information
- If a response violates guidelines (threats, privacy violations, retaliation), you may report it
6.6 Your Review Is Public
- Your review is visible to all internet users
- Search engines may index your review
- Anyone can read, share, or reference your review
- Consider this when deciding what to include
7. Verification and Trust
7.1 Review Verification
You can verify your review by providing documentation of your engagement:
- Email verification (basic - confirms account authenticity)
- Transaction documentation (loan application, closing documents, engagement letter, correspondence)
- Provider confirmation (provider confirms you were a client)
Reviews with supporting documentation may be labeled to indicate that the engagement has been confirmed and may carry greater weight in aggregate calculations.
7.2 Verification Privacy
Verification documents are never shared with providers or made public. They are used solely to confirm that a genuine engagement occurred.
7.3 What We Verify
We verify that you had a genuine interaction with the provider or professional. We do not verify whether your experience was positive or negative, or the accuracy of subjective assessments.
8. Editing and Updating Reviews
8.1 You May Edit at Any Time
You can edit your review to:
- Correct inaccuracies
- Add new information
- Update your experience (e.g., post-closing servicing)
- Adjust your rating
8.2 Edit Transparency
- Your most recent version is displayed
- An "Edited" indicator shows when changes have been made
- The original review date is preserved
- Edit history is tracked internally for integrity monitoring
8.3 When to Update
Consider updating when:
- Your experience continues (e.g., loan servicing after closing)
- The provider resolves issues you mentioned
- You discover new relevant information
9. Review Moderation
9.1 How Reviews Are Processed
After submission:
- Automated systems screen for prohibited content, fraud patterns, and policy violations
- High-risk reviews are flagged for human review
- Most reviews are published within 24-48 hours
- You receive notification when your review is published or if action is required
9.2 Reviews May Be Removed If They
- Violate these guidelines or our Terms of Service
- Appear fake, fraudulent, or incentivized
- Contain harmful, illegal, or defamatory content
- Include personal information or privacy violations
- Are off-topic or not based on first-hand experience
9.3 Notification and Appeal
If your review is removed:
- You receive an explanation of the reason
- You may edit and resubmit (for guideline violations)
- You may appeal the decision (see Section 10)
9.4 Review Lifespan
Your review remains published as long as your account is active, unless removed for violations or deprioritized after the recency window. If you delete your account, your reviews remain published in anonymized form (your display name is replaced with "Former User" or similar). Full deletion of reviews is not available as a standard option - see the Privacy Policy (Section 11.4) for details on review retention after account deletion.
10. Reporting and Appeals
10.1 Flagging Content
If you see a review that violates these guidelines:
- Click the "Flag" or "Report" button on the review
- Select the reason
- Provide additional details if helpful
We review flagged content and take appropriate action. Do not flag reviews simply because you disagree with the rating or sentiment.
10.2 Appealing Decisions
If your review is removed or your account is suspended:
- Email support@versquare.com with "Appeal" in the subject line
- Include your account information and review details
- Explain why you believe the decision was incorrect
- Provide supporting evidence
We will use commercially reasonable efforts to review appeals within 20 business days.
11. Enforcement
11.1 Graduated Response
- First minor violation: Warning, education, opportunity to edit
- Second violation: Temporary account suspension (7-30 days), review removal
- Third violation or severe single violation: Permanent account termination, potential legal referral
11.2 Immediate Termination
Severe violations result in immediate permanent termination:
- Fake review schemes or fraud
- Posting incentivized reviews
- Coordinated campaigns
- Illegal activity
- Severe harassment or threats
12. Contact
For questions about these guidelines, to report violations, or for privacy concerns:
Email: support@versquare.com
You can also use the Flag/Report button on any review or profile.