One of the top three P2P platforms in the UK loses their new chief risk officer only six months after he was initially hired; Cyrille Salle de Chou, who initially came from Lloyd's Banking Group, is now headed to HSBC to be the chief risk officer of their European retail business; Salle de Chou told the Financial Times: "[It is] a great opportunity I could not refuse. Not a sign of concerns re RateSetter. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at RateSetter." Source
SoFi has partnered with Fannie Mae to help its customers pay down student loan debt using home equity; already focused on student loans, SoFi's new Student Loan Payoff ReFi will allow homeowners to refinance their home and simultaneously pay student loan debt; with home equity, borrowers can combine their mortgage and student loans to make one loan payment on their debt. Source
The UK government has told P2P lenders that wholesale lending does not count under the current regulations and the practice is too risky for retail investors; wholesale lending is when you lend money to a business who then lends that money out; the FCA said, "this would mimic banking – but without the same protection for individuals or regulations for the firms involved"; P2P lender RateSetter started to wind down their wholesale loan book after getting more clarity from the FCA in December; the FCA still hasn't provided full clarity on the subject, but they are at least beginning to give more insight so lenders know where the boundaries are. Source
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has released new rules for banking business lenders regarding APR transparency and pricing; the CMA has confirmed that P2P lenders will be exempt from its new banking rules; despite the exemption, it is likely that the new rules will cause more P2P lenders to provide greater APR transparency in order to maintain market competitiveness. Source
P2P ISAs launched one year ago and have now been introduced by eight P2P platforms; industry participants are slightly disappointed by the offerings which have not gained significant traction; the slow start appears to be a factor of the platforms authorized, with the largest P2P platforms still awaiting authorization; it seems the lack of authorization for the region's largest platforms is delaying interest in the investment accounts from both individual investors and financial advisers. Source
Originations for the quarter were $464 million; OnDeck continues to tighten their credit policy and limit loans designated as held for sale on OnDeck's marketplace; company seeks to achieve GAAP profitability by the end of the year; the second quarter brought some of the highest quality borrowers the company has ever originated which resulted in OnDeck being in a substantially more stable credit position than six months ago; OnDeck made progress in expanding and lowering the cost of their funding sources on multiple fronts; the partnership with JP Morgan Chase has been extended for up to four years. Source
Marketplace lending has evolved from personal loans to numerous verticals; Prime Meridian Capital Management discusses real estate lending and investment opportunities it offers in comparison to other real estate products; provides examples of platforms including ShareStates, Patch of Land, Realty Mogul, LendingHome and Money360; gives details on loans and the investing process for real estate platforms. Source
As of December 2016, shadow loans in China reported an annual increase of approximately 15% to 14.1 trillion yuan ($2.3 trillion); a study by UBS reports that as the market grows one area adding increased risk is regional banks, specifically banks located in China's Rust Belt region, which have been integrating the shadow loans into various methods for diversifying their balance sheet risk as the steel and metal-producing provinces struggle to remain profitable in the changing economy; the UBS report says alternative financial statement accounting regarding the loans could lead to a number of issues including overstated capital adequacy ratios, understated nonperforming loans and reduced provision charges. Source
Pymnts.com talks with OnDeck executives and reports on alternative lending volumes; online small business lender OnDeck has loaned more than $7 billion to merchants since 2007; OnDeck Chief Revenue Officer Andrea Gellert and Vice President of Marketing and Communications Jim Larkin provide insights on the lending market and OnDeck's lending processes; discuss OnDeck's partnership with JPMorgan and how collaboration is benefiting small and medium size business. Source
Lending Times has reported numerous improprieties at Argon Credit causing further investigation; the firm filed for bankruptcy on December 16; an article from Lending Times says Argon Credit used proceeds from lending capital for personal interests; also says investments were not accurately disclosed and directed; firm is involved in bankruptcy proceeding with investor; former founder also had a criminal record. Source
