E-House has helped more than 70 home buyers borrow almost 20 million yuan for down payments through online finance website fangjs.com, which it set up in July with Web portal operator Sina (SINA). Investors who fund the 12-month loans typically earn 7.5 percent to 8 percent. Developers who want to boost sales subsidize interest payments, keeping rates for home buyers low, and provide guarantees or deposits to protect E-House against defaults by the borrowers. E-House collects a fee of 1 percent of the loan amount from the borrower, according to Ma Weijie, its deputy chief financial officer. It caps lending for down payments at 15 percent of the price of a first home and 20 percent for a second home and lends only to owner-occupiers, not investors. China Overseas Land & Investment and Poly Real Estate Group (600048:CH) are among 22 homebuilders that have signed with E-House to provide the service at some of their projects, Ma says.