No, you don't need an attorney under the law. A bank or credit union could probably require that certain entities e.g. corporations or LLCs have an attorney for the application, or possibly require that amounts over a certain sum have the involvement of an attorney, but that would be that bank's own particular internal policies a bank may set rules on making loans so long as they are not discriminating against people based on characteristics such as sex, religion, or race.But the law more generally does not require this. That does not mean, however, that it would not be a good idea to have a lawyer review the papers for you, to make sure you fully understand what you're getting into.