Marketplace provides insight on Goldman Sachs' new online lending business discussing the culture and variance from the traditional aspects of the investment bank; one reason for the divergence in culture is the company's focus on building Marcus as a tech startup within the bank; the investment bank's venture has gained considerable industry attention and also attracted talent from leading technology companies including Facebook and Google; it appears to be well positioned in the market with numerous competitive advantages supported by the legacy bank's 147 year history. Source
Marketplace lending originations have been increasing significantly in the US and China however in 2016 both countries saw a number of challenges influencing the market and increasing risk; Moody's analyzes market similarities and differences in the two countries; reports on the variance in lending model structuring; notes that US marketplace lenders are more deeply integrated with partner-bank relationships; while structuring and partnerships vary considerably between the two countries, there are similarities, including reliance on big data, lack of credit cycle testing and ongoing development of regulatory standards. Source
Fitch Ratings has upgraded its ratings for the Citi Held for Asset Issuance 2016-PM1 (CHAI 2016-PM1) portfolio which includes loans originated from the Prosper platform; the ratings agency upgraded the Class A, B and C tranches; it attributes the upgrades to growth in hard credit enhancement available to the notes. Source
Patrick McHenry is one of the most active proponents for fintech in Congress; Lend Academy talks with McHenry at LendIt USA following his keynote presentation; in the podcast he talks about the role of the House Financial Services Committee, his perspective on fintech, current legislation and his outlook for financial innovation over the next four years. Source
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was established as part of Dodd-Frank reform following the 2008 financial crisis to focus on financial law pertaining to the protection of consumers in the financial marketplace; in 2016 a three-judge D.C. circuit panel declared the CFPB unconstitutional in the PHH vs. CFPB case and gave full director accountability power to the president; an appeal by the CFPB overturned that ruling and called for a rehearing of the case before a broader panel of judges which is set for May 24, 2017; on Friday, March 17 the US Justice Department filed a brief requesting that the federal appeals court restructure the CFPB; the brief appears to be focused on the fact that the CFPB director was setup to have no accountability to the president; in the case of PHH vs. CFPB, lawyers from PHH reported that the CFPB should be dissolved; the Justice Department's brief appears to focus just on the CFPB director's accountability. Source
American Banker talks with David Klein, CEO of CommonBond about the fintech industry and his insight on the effects of a fintech charter; David Klein says company valuations across the industry are more realistic and the industry is maturing with more lending platform investments focused in later round fundraisings; explains the company's technology solution for employers adding student loan payment benefits; notes the company's default rate is zero; says the OCC fintech charter should give fintech companies better competitive market positioning and help to reduce costs. Source
The March MPL Loan Performance Monitor from PeerIQ discusses recent rate increases to riskier borrowers for both Lending Club and Prosper; PeerIQ described the rate increases at Prosper to be mild in comparison to Lending Club, additionally we should see more rate increases in 2017 as the Fed looks to raise rates a few times; the MPL Loan Performance Monitor also takes a look at delinquency and charge-off rates for 36 and 60 month products for both lenders. Source
SoFi has announced the addition of Mike Bingle, Steven Freiberg, and Robert Joss to its board of directors; Bingle is a managing partner and managing director at Silver Lake, the company which recently partnered with SoFi for a $500 million funding round; Freiberg is joining the board after previously servicing as the CEO of E*TRADE Financial Corporation; Joss is currently a professor at Stanford and previously worked at Westpac Banking Corporation and Wells Fargo; Mike Cagney says the experience from the new board members will be helpful in supporting the firm's product and geographic expansions. Source
This week's PeerIQ industry update focused on the OCC's special purpose bank charter and a trio of new securitization deals; the OCC charter is beginning to face some pushback from lawmakers who feel the OCC may be moving along too quickly; Marlette is looking to close their MFT 2017-1 securitization on March 23rd, the deal was $257.44 million but has upsized to $304.47 million; SoFi has a new offering, SoFi 2017-B, led by Bank of America and Deutsche Bank for $461 million; Avant is also heading to market with a $300 million securitization being led by Credit Suisse. Source
The United States Automobile Association (USAA) was created to provide financial services for Americans serving in the military; the Association has seen significant adoption of biometric authentication which it first introduced for members in 2015; the USAA is currently reporting two million of its five million mobile app users opting for mobile account sign in using fingerprint, facial or voice recognition; the Association is actively integrating new biometric solutions and working with new providers. Source