Loot has launched version two of its app which provides for cash deposits and personal finance management; in its newest launch the app has accepted 25,000 new customers; the app helps customers track their spending and provides discounts from affiliated merchants; the version two launch of the app follows a $3.13 million funding round in November. Source
OnDeck has obtained a $200 million revolving credit facility from Credit Suisse; $125 million of the funding will be available while the remaining $75 million will be provided at the lender's discretion; loans will be made to Prime OnDeck Receivable Trust II, LLC (Port II), financing Port II's purchase of OnDeck loans for collateral; firm says it will use a portion of the funds to prepay its $100 million Prime OnDeck Receivable Trust, LLC facility. Source
Known for its personal finance and credit advice, Credit Karma has announced some new changes and initiatives with an overall rebrand; expanding on its free credit scores, credit reports and credit monitoring, the firm has launched Credit Karma Tax which will offer free tax preparation services; the service is driven by its acquisition of AFJC Corporation which provides online tax preparation solutions; with the tax offering, the firm has rebranded to convey itself as a financial assistance solutions provider; according to Credit Karma Founder and CEO Kenneth Lin, "We'll continue to add tools and features that will make Credit Karma more of a personal assistant for finance." Source
Credible has announced a new partnership with New Hampshire Higher Education Loan Corporation (NHHELCO); company is a multi-lender focused on loans and refinancing for higher education; the new partnership will add another student loan refinancing option to the site; with the addition of NHHELCO the platform now has seven refinancing lenders; NHHELCO will offer its EDvestinU Consolidation Loan product which allows for consolidation of federal and private loans with a fixed or variable-rate refinancing loan that includes repayment terms ranging from 5 to 20 years; the EDvestinU Consolidation Loan product offers variable-rate loans with interest rates from 2.47% to 6.07% APR and fixed-rate loans with interest rates from 3.94% to 7.54% APR. Source
Wunder Capital is a crowdfunded investment firm focused on solar energy projects; it manages solar energy funds, provides customized financing and offers loans; its 2016 report says it has originated $87 million in financing across 310 deals with zero write offs; its solar energy funds include the Wunder Term Fund with a projected 2016 annual return of 8.5%, the Wunder Income Fund with a projected 2016 annual return of 6% and the Wunder Bridge Fund with a projected 2016 annual return of 11%. Source
LendingHome has reported over $1 billion in mortgage loan originations since it launched two and a half years ago; company is the leading marketplace lending mortgage loan originator in real estate; factors influencing the rapid growth include expansion to jumbo loans and a new investor platform for individuals; active in securitization, it has partnered with Nomura Securities International and developed the industry's first master trust securitization vehicle providing it with ongoing access to the securitization market. Source
The Financial Conduct Authority has issued an update on its rules for the crowdfunding market; the update is based on feedback received since July and its authorization process; seems there will be a number of modifications; some of the key areas for new regulation in P2P lending include disclosure, wind-down plans, mortgage lending standards, cross-platform investment, investment limits, operational risk complexity, marketing promotions, provision funds, money handling standards, regulatory arbitrage, maturity mismatching, investment for institutional investors and liquidity risk for IFISA investors. Source
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
According to P2P-Banking, Lendico has stopped originating consumer loans in Germany; website is referring consumer loan borrowers to Finanzcheck, but the company is still offering business loans in Germany; company has also ended consumer loans in the Netherlands and stopped new loan originations in Brazil and South Africa; recent activity from the firm includes an announcement last week regarding a joint venture with Postfinance in Switzerland. Source
Emerging online lending platforms from traditional banks could be the market's disruptors with their ability to offer low fees; few banks have emerged with proprietary online lending platforms however the fee structures offered by Marcus from Goldman Sachs have caused some industry participants to fear the emergence of similar models; other speculators believe traditional banks are not agile enough to build and offer market leading online lending capabilities in a competitive timeframe; Orchard says competition will be fierce but the end result is likely to produce improved and expanded access to capital for customers. Source