The no-action letter shows that the CFPB is open to alternative data being used to expand access to credit data; Upstart will report lending and compliance information to the CFPB to mitigate risk to consumers and aid in the Bureau’s understanding of the real-world impact of alternative data on lending decision making; the no-action letter relates to enforcement of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and Regulation B; Upstart shares in their application how powerful using data points outside of just credit reports is in reducing borrowing rates. Source
Greg Carmichael is the CEO of Fifth Third Bancorp; in this in-depth interview he shares his perspective on the intersection of regulation and innovation in banking, Fifth Third’s fintech strategy, their partnership with QED Investors and more. Source
In their latest edition of Confessions, TearSheet talks to an analyst at a startup attached to a large bank about innovation, trying to get tech talent and why more fintech companies should partner with banks; about half of the talent at the startup came form inside the bank and as the analyst points out it was more because of convenience as hiring from the outside could take months; banks have trouble keeping top talent because the projects are not as interesting as projects at Google or Facebook; other areas discussed include default rates ticking up, marketing practices and expanding product offerings. Source.
The Series F round values the company at $2.9 billion post money according to Axios; participating investors include Thrive, Fidelity,...
ApplePie Capital has received endorsement from Fifth Third Bancorp as more large banks take an interest in marketplace lenders; Fifth Third Bancorp participated in a funding round that resulted in a $16.5 million investment for ApplePie Capital; Lend Academy provides details in their article; the funding will help ApplePie Capital continue to improve its market positioning; it currently provides loans for franchisees affiliated with its 40 franchise brand partnerships. Source
Renaud Laplanche has announced the launch of a new online consumer lending platform called Upgrade; the firm's investors include Apoletto, CreditEase, FirstMark Capital, Noah Holdings, Ribbit Capital, Sands Capital Ventures, Silicon Valley Bank, Union Square Ventures, Uprising and Vy Capital; the firm will partner with WebBank for loan originations and plans to sell its loans to institutional investors; it is working with Jefferies on its capital markets strategy and a loan securitization program; the firm also has plans to use blockchain for data management and transactions. Source
American Banker reports on a bitter rivalry that has been brewing between James Gutierrez and his former company Oportun; Gutierrez...
Ken Sena runs a group within Wells Fargo Securities and recently introduced an artificially intelligent equity research analyst; the bot tracks stocks and put a sell rating on Facebook and Google, two of the top companies working on artificial intelligence; Sena provides his perspective on the new bot and where it might be falling short. Source
Crowdfund Insider explores the potential impact on fintech as Maxine Waters takes the helm of the House Financial Services Committee;...
The new API by Fidelity Investments called Fidelity Access will give third parties access to customer data; the idea behind the program is for customers to give apps focused on tax prep, budgeting or portfolio advice access to their Fidelity data; Fidelity believes this will cut down on cyber crime as access will be more secure instead of a user passing along their credentials; they are following a number of other financial institutions who have started similar programs recently. Source.