Hi Gordon.. welcome to bitcointalk. Always heartwarming to see these endless new accounts zeroing in on the lending section.. (I know I know and I'll keep the rest to myself).

Anyway, as for lending here, you must require a borrower to provide a stable and appropriate form of collateral to secure the loan. Collateral should adequately cover and secure the loaned amount and should preferably exceed the amount by a certain safe margin to ensure you, the lender, can liquidate it in the event of a default or a devaluation of the collateral. Acceptable collateral is usually stable altcoins. Just like bitcoin, the value of altcoins fluctuate and can appreciate or depreciate.

Most importantly, the collateral should be held by a trusted escrow provider of the forum. I use the word important here because of rampant fraud occurring across the forum and there is always a risk of fake lenders offering fictitious loans. The scam's modus operandi would be something along the lines of taking collateral first... then doing a runner.

If you have genuine and legitimate intentions, then your next challenge would be to compete with the countless established and reputable lenders here offering competitively priced loans.