AirFinance has helped to expand marketplace lending capabilities in the aviation finance market through a recent launch of FlyFunder: a closed-network connecting financiers, investors, used aircraft brokers and aircraft developers.
Sources have reported to Crowdfund Insider that the platform has shut down; the online lender was providing lines of credit for up to $1,000; it last raised $3 million in February 2017. Source
Prosper filed its annual earnings report with the Securities and Exchange Commission showing an annual loss in 2016 of $118.7 million from revenue of $132.9 million; the loss compares to an annual loss of $26 million for 2015; 2016 was a challenging year for the industry overall; Prosper attributes the losses to lower loan volumes and higher restructuring and legal costs; in February, Prosper reported a $5 billion deal with a consortium of investors committing to invest in Prosper's loans over the next two years, which has helped to give the firm a much more positive outlook for 2017. Source
As a thirty year veteran of consumer lending, loanDepot CEO Anthony Hsieh has seen his share of transformative changes; his keynote at LendIt USA 2017 focused on the modern version of consumer lending and how online lenders are only just scratching the surface; while originations have grown each year loanDepot still only accounts for about two percent market share as the second largest non bank consumer lender; he believes online lending is still in the bottom of the first or top of the second inning; non bank mortgage lenders now account for five of the top ten originators, a few years ago only two non bank lenders cracked the top ten; regulations, capital markets and technology have all contributed to the market changing since the crisis of 2008; he also talks about the future of the customer experience and their continued investment in technology. Source
LendIt provides details on LendIt USA 2017 training sessions in their blog post; the training sessions will be focused on sales and marketing, and technology and operations; the two sessions will be held on March 6 and will include interactive discussion; the sales and marketing training session will be in the morning and will include discussion on digital marketing channels, and lead generation, retention and engagement; the technology and operations session will be in the afternoon and will include discussion on artificial intelligence and the importance of mobile. Source
Leading marketplace lending platform, Prosper, has launched Credit Card Optimizer; the Credit Card Optimizer is an enhancement to the firm’s Prosper Daily app which was introduced in March 2016 as an aggregator for financial accounts; the Credit Card Optimizer will provide users with their credit card balances and payment notifications; also seeks to provide advice on credit card usage and includes features for managing credit cards by interest bearing balances. Source
dv01 and Experian have announced a data partnership that will increase transparency for institutional investors; the collaboration will bring new data to dv01's platform allowing for broader risk analysis of marketplace loans and bonds; dv01's clients include leading hedge funds, banks and asset managers; the data enhancement will specifically provide for better analysis of origination trends, loan performance and borrower attributes. Source
Currently the student loan debt market is at approximately $1.4 trillion; market share from government lenders has been on the rise under the Obama administration with federal student loans accounting for approximately 93% of the market versus 88% in 2008; in the Trump administration it is likely that private lenders will take a larger share as Republicans favor more financing options from private sector participants; since the November 8 election, shares of private lender Sallie Mae have increased 55%; marketplace lenders are also likely to take part in a market shift towards private student lending, specifically as their student loan offerings continue to expand. Source
LendIt USA 2017 featured keynote speakers discussing all aspects of the online lending industry and new developments in fintech overall; videos on the keynote presentations from the event are now available; a list of the event’s keynote speakers can also be found here. Source
Climb Credit is integrating earnings potential into its credit underwriting models for student loans; firm offers student loans for individuals and through partnerships with educational institutions; its credit underwriting process for a student loan includes multi-factor data on the earnings potential of the loan's borrower in addition to the individual borrower's credit score. Source