Weekly Industry Update: March 13, 2016

Industry news this week centered on the CPFB's announcement that they will accept complaints from consumers encountering problems with loans from online marketplace lenders. We view this as continued evidence of the transition of marketplace lending from niche to mainstream. We see evidence of that transition in: i) size of origination volumes, ii) broadening of institutional participation, iii) and growth in securitizations and ratings. The continued growth of marketplace lending depends on consumers having confidence that their transactions will be subject to equal protection—regardless of whether their loan was funded from a marketplace lender or a traditional financial institution. There certainly are opportunities to improve regulatory harmony and clarity. We cite novel ideas in PeerIQ’s research publication, ‘A Survey of US Treasury RFI Submissions.' Nevertheless, we believe the existing regulatory framework – by instilling consumer and investor confidence – has contributed significantly to growth of the category. Conferences: