Chapman and Cutler provide insight on regulation in marketplace lending in their annual survey publication titled, "The Regulation of Marketplace Lending: A Summary of the Principal Issues"; covers a wide range of marketplace lending regulatory aspects for consideration; includes court case rulings and government involvement; also provides details on the status of marketplace loans as securities, applicable securities laws and more. Source
AutoGravity has added Westlake Financial Services to its network of financing companies; AutoGravity launched its app in 46 states in January; the platform allows consumers to shop for a car online, apply for financing and receive up to four auto financing offers. Source
Wave and OnDeck have partnered to offer credit products to small businesses; Wave currently offers small businesses financial tools and software for managing their business; the firm will now offer its clients new credit products through Lending by Wave; with Lending by Wave clients can directly access loans and credit lines from OnDeck through the Wave ecosystem. Source
The bank has seen behavior in the unsecured personal loan market getting out of control; lenders are trying to battle each other to offer cheaper loans in an uncertain time; Paul Lynam, chief executive of Secure Trust, said, "The competition becomes excessive; lenders tend to continue to fight for market share, which means lower pricing."; this is not the first time Secure Trust has pulled back on unsecured consumer loans; in 2006 they ceased originations only to come back in 2009. Source
The below chart was taken from a Business Insider article discussing subprime auto lending. Since 2010, auto originations have been increasing steadily, topping $465.6 billion in 2016. This increase has been in part due to the low interest rate environment. Many people have speculated that the increase in subprime auto loans should be cause for concern. The subprime share of auto loans currently sits at around 17% as shown below. Data from Equifax and VantageScore from 2015 to 2016 shows auto loan delinquencies have increased from historical lows. In 2015, severe delinquencies (60 days+ past due) were 1.24% compared to 1.35% today. As of December 2016, 13.1% of the portfolios at banks and credit unions were considered subprime, defined as having a credit score less than 620, compared to 34.8% of other finance companies. Source
In business for six years, Lufax has expanded to meet a growing market demand for fintech products in China with a number of factors helping its success; beginning as a P2P lending firm with the support of Ping An the firm has been able to expand its business to wealth management and overall sees an underserved domestic market of over one billion people interested in the firm's solutions; it now has over 25.5 million registered users, RMB390.92 billion ($57 billion) of retail assets and RMB111.65 billion ($16 billion) of loans under management; it has been able to successfully navigate the market challenges with help from Ping An and is now approaching an even more global introduction through its potential initial public offering expected for later this year in Hong Kong which could raise approximately $5 billion for the firm. Source
RateSetter Australia was the country's first P2P lending platform for retail investors; it has now announced $100 million in funding; the firm has seen a significant increase in investment from millennial investors seeking yield alternatives to low rate savings accounts and volatile stock markets; concurrently with data on its origination milestone it also released research conducted among RateSetter's investors on millennial investing. Source
Canada reported significant growth in online and marketplace lending in 2016; fintech growth in the country was also substantial with Canada reporting a 74% increase in fintech investment; a blog post from Aspire gives a roundup of online and marketplace lending activity in 2016 which included many partnerships and equity rounds; also provides predictions for the market in 2017; among its seven predictions are more bank partnerships and increased institutional investment. Source
UK debt crowdfunding platform Property Crowd has announced the launch of its innovative finance individual savings account (IFISA); the minimum investment for the IFISA is 5,000 British pounds ($6,220) and the account will target returns of 7% to 10%; Property Crowd will compete for investment across the alternative debt market however its offerings vary slightly from traditional P2P lenders since the firm's debt products include structured real estate bonds. Source
Banks have previously been known for their slow service in providing small business loans however the success of small business online lenders is helping to increase their interest and banking models; with banks expected to begin broadening personal and business lending in the current environment, small businesses appear to provide the best market opportunity; American Banker details some specific areas where banks can upgrade their technology for better competitive positioning in the small business lending market including: online applications, electronic documentation, increased online disclosure and optimized lending processes based on targeted borrowers. Source