While the numbers have dropped significantly since the 2010 peak, personal bankruptcy is still a significant issue in the U.S. An interesting academic paper co-authored by Dr. Piotr Danisewicz, University of Bristol and Ilaf Elard, Assistant Professor of Finance at Shanghai University of International Business and Economics studies the link between personal bankruptcies and marketplace lending. The paper explores how the advancements in fintech are making it much easier to control finances and provide more access to funding, but also suggests that little is known about the risks vs benefits regarding the long-term effects on household financial health. Source.