Newbie here - a couple of simple questions

I've been looking at a few of them but for the moment we will play it safe until we get a feel for how things are going and then look at spreading investments further.  We're coming up to retirement and looking to maximise the return on our money, so want to try to get the best returns but at the same time don't want to risk too much as we've had a few investments that went uptits during the recession - mainly business related.  Keeping track is also getting more complex with a mix of ISAs, OIECs, bonds and now P2P - one of these days I think I might lose one completely due to forgetfulness!!

Not a problem.  Enjoy your new found financial world of P2P.  It's worth it.

Even if the provision fund isn't adequate diversification isn't an issue because on a resolution event everyone's portfolio is pooled and all investors share the pain equally. Diversification helps to smooth out early repayments, but otherwise isn't really a big issue on Ratesetter.

I know this is a late reply and OP has made his choices already (probably) but...

I started with FC and have accounts with the usual suspects but I genuinely feel there is one platform that is different: Assetz Capital (not much mentioned in this thread). They treat me like a proper (institutional, but I'm far from it) lender, despite my small exposure they give me a fair and (generally) wise view of the situation when it matters. If a loan is in trouble, AC answer the Q&A - and they give lenders access to reports that other platforms will not (if a loan is in trouble and there is a choice between AC-forced administration and company-chosen liquidation, can we get any advice and who is it from? A carbon copy of the letter to AC has been seen by lenders and is very helpful).

In this regard, I see AC as a much more interesting place to be. The information and reports are made available and the overall governance seems much more genuine. Having used several other platforms, I must comment here that AC are by far the most interesting and (IMO) open platform - they have the wisdom to keep quiet when needed too, mind. They are excellent at forwarding information when appropriate and all other platforms I have used fall short of the bar set by AC.

I think AC top every other platform I have used, and even if you don't invest I suggest you open an account and take a look at the way things work on the site. It's insightful for anyone who has only used a more 'spray and pray' approach (as I used to). This isn't an advert (in fact, as a lender, I would rather you didn't sign up - or if you do only commit to loans I'm selling) but a matter of preference. AC give good information & you will appreciate it, and the whole experience is more enjoyable (even if you are losing money owed, it's enjoyable to read the actual letters by the lawyers) than some other platforms.