Prosper is in talks with Chinese conglomerate Linca to sell an approximately 10% stake in the company; according to the source, Linca would invest $50 million in Prosper at a valuation of about $550 million, reducing Prosper's value from approximately $2 billion reported in 2015; plans for its recent $5 billion investment in loans on the platform from a consortium of investors continues and this new deal is reportedly expected to help provide capital for future investments. Source
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
Sunlight Financial has gained a $130 million investment from Route 66 Ventures for expansion of its residential solar systems lending business; the firm plans to develop new financing products, expand its Charlotte business center and partner with more solar installers; the firm is currently a trusted provider for a network of solar installation companies and offers its credit products through an easy to use online platform. Source
Fintech is improving the financial services industry and providing new borrowing opportunities across the country; the current framework makes innovation challenging with differing requirements for online lenders in each of the 50 states; Nat Hoopes, the Marketplace Lending Association's director, writes in favor of the OCC fintech charter and the benefits it would provide for online lending, fintech and the industry overall. Source
Highlights partnerships announced by Wells Fargo and Blend, and Walmart and Google Express; reports on economists' comments at the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium discussing post-crisis market regulations and areas for further improvement; also mentions Jamie Dimon's annual letter and the role for third party risk infrastructure. Source
Point of sale business credit provider Behalf has partnered with community bank FinWise Bank; FinWise Bank will support expanded credit financing and product offerings for Behalf; according to Behalf CEO and Co-Founder Benjy Feinberg, "Partnering with FinWise allows us to expand our product offering and serve more customers with financial tools that help them grow." Source
On Monday, ApplePie Capital announced new investment deals with TowerBrook Structured Opportunities Fund and a group of investors led by QED Investors and Fifth Third Capital; the TowerBrook Structured Opportunities Fund will invest $180 million in the platform's loans over the next two years; QED Investors and Fifth Third Bancorp led a Series B investment round for ApplePie Capital raising $16.5 million; ApplePie Capital has partnerships with 40 franchise brands and provides loans to support their franchisees. Source
LPL has increased their technology spending from $38 million in 2011 to $77 million in 2016; tech executives from the firm say that when it comes to wealth management, innovation firms, like Acorns, are better concepts for inspiration than for instance Betterment; company believes that micro transactions for savings are an important part of the younger generation's experience and the company is taking a generational approach to products to offer a customized product for each type of client; LPL is launching their new robot advice platform, Guided Wealth, this month. Source
Big banks reported their seventh consecutive month of increased approval rates at 24.1%; small bank lending approvals decreased in February to 48.8% from 48.9%; institutional lending approvals reached a new high of 63.5%; the approval rate for credit unions remained at 40.8%; the loan approval rate for alternative lenders decreased to 58.4% from 58.5% in January and has been trending lower over the past twelve months with February 2016 reporting an approval rate of 60.8%. Source
DecisionHawk seeks to provide a service for advising and educating small businesses on market financing options; the firm is led by entrepreneurs experienced in business owner consulting; they have released DecisionHawk, a software solution offering problem solving, education and collaboration; driven by big data analytics DecisionHawk can be used for a range of business decisions including: debt capital financing, equity capital financing, business insurance and business referrals. Source