A new study conducted by the Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI) and Core Innovation Capital found that the underserved banking customer paid $141 billion in fees while at the same time accounting for $1.6 trillion in economic activity; the underserved or underbanked are defined as the 67 million who do not use a bank account but use prepaid cards and other alternative finance options to handle their money; according to CFSI president and CEO Jennifer Tescher, the biggest driver behind the fees are auto insurance and subprime installment lending. Source
TransUnion added lending decision firms to its Strategic Alliance Distribution Partner Program, like the fintech Provenir and GDS Link.
Research from TransUnion suggests that the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) move to a bi-merge system could significantly impact both consumers and lenders while providing little benefit.
One curious solution to the problem that wouldn't involve Congress: have the Treasury mint a trillion-dollar platinum coin and hand it to the government.
Uber, the driving service, has launched a debit card product in Latin America, in conjunction with innovative bank, Bankaool; the continent as a whole demonstrates 1.1 mobile phone connections per capita, yet only 14% of the overall population has a traditional savings account; it's difficult to obtain a debit or credit card without being able to link it to a bank account with savings; Bankaool claims to be the first Mexican-based bank where you can fully open a bank account or obtain a card via an online application; Uber acknowledged that a payment card was essential for riders using its service. Source
On Thursday, Uber partnered with Mastercard, Marqeta, and Branch to power the Uber Pro Card.
Upstart's Q4 earnings showed a downward trend of losses, CEO, Girouard, remains positive despite cost cutting measures.
The Federal Reserve released its Consumer Credit report for October on Wednesday; the report showed an increase of $16 billion in total consumer credit; revolving credit increased by $2.3 billion and non-revolving credit increased by $13.7 billion; the increase resulted in a seasonally adjusted annual rate of growth of 5.2%; at 5.2% the rate is the slowest since June; consumer spending was also down in October with a 0.3% increase signaling caution from consumers in spending and borrowing. Source
A legal case initiated by the city of Miami, Florida has reached the Supreme Court; the case (a combination of two earlier cases) claims that banks, including Bank of America and Wells Fargo, are financially liable for a decade of targeting blacks, Latinos and other minorities for loans with risky terms, including prepayment penalties, negative amortization and no documentation; there is concern that the case may be delayed until the Supreme Court regains a tie-breaking ninth Justice, or result in a return to the lower courts. Source
'If you have the right business ball on the right day and in the right situation, there is capital going to certain companies'