Renaud Laplanche launched his new online lending firm at the beginning of April; Upgrade raised $60 million for its launch and is reportedly valued at $168 million; the company will compete directly with many unsecured consumer lenders offering loans from $2,000 to $50,000; a key part of the offering will be a mobile app to help borrowers manage their finances which has yet to be released. Source
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Online Lending
Alternative credit underwriting and new data solutions for broadening credit underwriting have been emerging themes in recent quarters; the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is currently researching alternative data underwriting and many fintech companies are developing new solutions for broadening credit availability and reaching more thin file borrowers; Sasha Orloff from LendUp discusses some of the important factors for consideration in broadening credit availability in his presentation at LendIt USA 2016 highlighting some of the initiatives that are currently developing in today's market. Source
"The Hourglass Effect" is a white paper written by Frank Rotman from QED Investors in 2015; it provides a historic look at the evolution of the marketplace lending industry and how its growth has coincided with the slowdown in traditional bank lending following the 2008 financial crisis; it outlines ten years of industry growth and includes in-depth details on the economy, marketplace lending and banks; Frank Rotman also presented the white paper in a recorded presentation at LendIt USA 2015. Source
