In an engaging LendIt Fintech Digital session yesterday several leading consumer lenders discussed how they have adapted to the crisis caused by Covid-19; probably the most interesting point made in the talks is how payment behavior has actually changed for the better; Jason Gross of Petal shared that the last two months have been their best ever in terms of credit performance with many more people paying in excess of the minimum monthly balance; loss of income for their customers has been more than offset by federal stimulus and unemployment; he also stressed the importance of cash flow underwriting today because it gives a real time indicator of credit risk; James Paris of Avant shared that they have seen a 50% drop in loan demand although there are early signs that is starting to recover; Marc Butterfield of First National Bank of Omaha shared of the incredible difficulty of forecasting where the consumer will be in six or nine months which makes ramping up marketing programs very challenging. Sign up for LendIt Fintech Digital here.
