Jim Rosenthal will join the board of directors at OnDeck; he was previously the chief operating officer at Morgan Stanley and also served as chairman and CEO; according to OnDeck's CEO Noah Breslow: "Jim is a supremely talented executive whose vision contributed greatly to the success of Morgan Stanley and other organizations. His experience as an innovator at the intersection of technology and financial services, combined with his comprehensive knowledge of financial institutions, will add great value to OnDeck as we build on our leadership as the nation's largest online lender to small businesses." Source
Prosper filed its annual earnings report with the Securities and Exchange Commission showing an annual loss in 2016 of $118.7 million from revenue of $132.9 million; the loss compares to an annual loss of $26 million for 2015; 2016 was a challenging year for the industry overall; Prosper attributes the losses to lower loan volumes and higher restructuring and legal costs; in February, Prosper reported a $5 billion deal with a consortium of investors committing to invest in Prosper's loans over the next two years, which has helped to give the firm a much more positive outlook for 2017. Source
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
Google Play has created a guide for developers focused on fintech financial health apps; the guide was created in partnership with the Center for Financial Services Innovation and specifically its Financial Solutions Lab; the guide provides best practices for developing financial health focused apps for Android and distributing them through Google Play; Google Play is also featuring a page with financial health apps. Source
Cross River Bank has added David Cotney to its board of directors; David Cotney brings in-depth experience in banking regulation and specifically bank chartering to the firm's board of directors; Cotney previously served as commissioner of banks for the Massachusetts Division of Banks where he was responsible for licensing and supervision of state-chartered financial entities; his industry experience also includes roles as chairman of the State Liaison Committee of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council and chairman of the Board of Directors of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors. Source
Kabbage has reported it will open a new office in Ireland; the geographic expansion follows a 50 million euro ($54 million) investment from the Irish Strategic Investment Fund which is managed by the country's National Treasury Management Agency; the Kabbage lending platform is focused on lending to small businesses and the firm expects to help support the Irish small business sector while also creating many high-quality financial services jobs in Ireland. Source
Goldman Sachs appears to be planning for a robo advisory service offering; the firm is advertising a job posting for a GSAM Technology digital experience developer that would build an automated robo advisory platform complementing the firm's asset management business; the bank's private wealth management business focuses on client's with approximately $50 million in investable assets; it has been broadening its client demographic recently by including business and retail products for investors with $1 million or less; a robo advisory service would add to other recent product expansions including the acquisition of GE Capital's online bank, Marcus and Honest Dollar. 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