Startup's Demise Shows Regulatory Perils in Unbanked Market

The difference between an innovative new credit product and a prettied-up payday loan may be in the eye of the beholder. But when that eye belongs to a regulator, the consequences can be devastating for a company.

The recent demise of TandemMoney LLC, a South Dakota-based start-up that was partnering with two banks, appears to have been the result of unwelcome scrutiny from federal banking regulators.

TandemMoney's downfall underscores the pitfalls facing companies that try to develop new consumer finance products – particularly in the underbanked market – and the tensions between innovation and regulation, between expanding access to financial services and protecting consumers.

Before TandemMoney closed its doors, it developed a prepaid debit card that allowed customers to borrow short-term money, but only if they set aside $20 in savings every month. Some advocates for the unbanked saw the savings requirement as an intriguing innovation, while other consumer advocates denounced the product, calling it a payday loan in disguise.

In July, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency took action against one of TandemMoney's partners, Urban Trust Bank of Lake Mary, Fla., ordering it to prepare an analysis of the risks associated with its prepaid debit program.

Subsequently, investors pulled out of TandemMoney because of concerns about regulatory scrutiny, according to the BankTalk blog, which broke the news of the company's shutdown.

In an email to American Banker, Trent Sorbe, company's former president, blamed the company's demise on regulators, though he did not provide specifics.

"The closure of TandemMoney is another unfortunate example of a regulatory environment that discourages innovation, scares away private capital, and ensures that banks will never threaten the grip nonbank lenders have on the provision of small dollar consumer credit," he wrote.

Sorbe would not say how many customers the company had, or answer any other questions. Urban Trust Bank did not return a call seeking comment.

TandemMoney's fall came fast. In September 2011, the company was featured at Finovate, a national conference that features young, technology-oriented firms in the financial sector. Sorbe pitched the company's product as a way to wean borrowers off high-cost loans, which the poor often use to meet their short-term needs.

"It's important to understand: with Tandem, you have to be a saver to be a borrower," he said at the conference. "It's a way for customers to manage what they have, save for tomorrow, and borrow for emergencies."

Sorbe gave the hypothetical example of a cardholder who initially needs to rely entirely on a loan to cover an unexpected $80 expense. Four months later, the consumer, who is putting aside $30 per month in savings, has enough of a nest egg to cover more than half the cost of a surprise $200 bill. At that point the borrower starts saving $70 per month. So three months later, the customer has enough savings to pay the entire cost of another $200 expense.

TandemMoney used the marketing slogan "Financial Freedom Starts Here." And it won accolades from some advocates for the unbanked, because its approach acknowledged that low-income borrowers often find themselves trapped in a cycle of debt that prevents them from building their own rainy-day funds.

Adam Rust, the author of the BankTalk blog, which focuses on the finances of the unbanked, wrote several posts about the TandemMoney, describing what he saw as both its advantages and disadvantages. He saw the savings requirement as a positive innovation.