P2P property lending has been providing steady returns in the UK, according to a report from rating agency, 4thWay; since 2013, UK P2P property lenders have lent £1.6 billion with returns ranging from 2.25% to 12.7%; lenders in the category have achieved success through thorough underwriting processes with maximum loan to value ratios of 70% to 80% and most loans secured by the property. Source
UK online lender Funding Circle has announced it will be slowing its property lending with plans to fully end the product by mid 2018; the firm is primarily focused on SME lending and says the refocused strategy will help it to increase SME lending and shift its resources for international expansion; property loans have previously only been available to UK borrowers and the product has accounted for approximately 5% of the company's revenue. Source
Lend Academy reviews a session on applying blockchain to real estate after attending MIPIM, the world's largest conference dedicated to real estate; one company helping run a pilot is velox.RE; company is working with Chicago's Cook County on a program for transferring and tracking property titles as well as filing liens; the three perceived benefits are: a permanent, immutable public record that is immune to well-funded nation-state attacks, a path towards paperless land transfers and so-called "e-deeds" and reduced costs for offices across the country that want to upgrade electronic document processing systems; other applications for blockchain in real estate include tracking property ownership in emerging markets, real estate crowdfunding and tracking/transferring solar energy. Source
AlphaFlow has announced the launch of AlphaFlow Managed Portfolios; created by Ray Sturm, co-founder of RealtyShares, AlphaFlow has been managing real estate investments that allow investors to invest in loans across multiple real estate crowdfunding platforms since its launch in 2015; the introduction of the AlphaFlow Managed Portfolios is an effort to better meet the needs and demands of the firm’s investors; the new platform will provide investors with a real estate portfolio of 75 to 100 real estate loans; the portfolio will be driven by AlphaFlow Advanced Analytics and targets returns of 8% to 10% with a 1% fee on assets under management. Source
UK mortgage loan marketplace platform, LendInvest, has released its 2016 earnings; originations on the platform increased 84% to £320 million for the year ending March 2016; company grew revenue 133% to £32 million with a profit of £3.4 million; leads most of its competitors who have been consistently reporting losses. Source
Unison has reported new funding that brings its total capital raised to $300 million also announcing new leadership appointments; the new capital will help the company continue its focus on providing more affordable home ownership for US consumers; the funding round included Ron Suber of Prosper Marketplace who will also join the firm as a strategic advisor; the firm has recently added several new executives focused on sales and marketing. Source
Episode 255 features Vishal Garg, the CEO and Founder of Better.com; he discusses the state of the mortgage market with...
Lending Times reports on the business model created by Unison to improve the affordability of home ownership in the United States; the firm has developed two main products, a HomeOwner and HomeBuyer product, that are based on an investment model rather than a lending model; as a real estate investor the firm provides capital for borrowers and shares in the gain or loss of the real estate property's value; Unison and other innovative real estate businesses participated in a panel at LendIt USA 2017 titled, "The New Era of Buying & Selling a House" sharing further insight on how fintech innovation is evolving in residential real estate. Source
Patch Homes has officially launched after operating in private beta; the platform seeks to allow homeowners to greater utilize the equity in their homes; by offering investment versus a home equity loan, homeowners contract with Patch Homes for capital proceeds that can be used for any type of financing needs; Patch Homes then shares in the gains and losses on the home's value over the contracted timeframe; Patch Homes has identified a $4.5 trillion home equity market in the US; along with its launch it also announced $1 million in fundraising to support its growth and to expand its offering beyond California. Source
Online real estate lender and crowdfunding platform Patch of Land has hired Matthew Zall to serve as its new chief investment product officer; the new hire occurs as Patch of Land plans to expand into the single-family rental market, identifying an opportunity to capitalize on the 24 million US single-family units valued at over $6 trillion; Zall's experience includes single-family loan structuring at Blackstone Group subsidiary B2R Finance; he has also worked as a commercial real estate trader at J.P. Morgan and Bear Stearns; in comments regarding the new hire, Paul Deitch, Patch of Land's chief executive officer said, "The addition of Matt enables us to continue the expansion of our marketplace to fully serve the lending needs of more than 10 million Americans who directly invest in single-family residential properties and need consistent, reliable access to capital to fuel their businesses." Source