Marketplace lending

An online student loan refinancing business that was recently spun off from a Virginia bank has been rebranded as Purefy Inc.

Research published in 2014 found that just 18% of U.S. checking account holders pay 91% of all bank overdraft fees.

WASHINGTON — Several Democratic senators are calling for the Government Accountability Office to investigate whether financial technology companies are properly regulated.

A partnership with a firm that makes consumer loans through Home Depot stores is exceeding all expectations at Regions Financial. The company is counting on arrangements with two other alternative lenders to further drive loan growth.

Regions Financial in Birmingham, Ala., posted a double-digit gain in its first-quarter profit as strong revenue growth more than offset continued deterioration in its energy-loan portfolio.

Suddenly, online lenders are struggling, or paying higher prices, to attract the institutional money that has fueled their rapid rise.

Affirm, a three-year-old online lender that finances consumer purchases at the point of sale, has raised a $100 million in equity funding to help it boost distribution and develop new products and services.

The partnership with OnDeck will allow the megabank to approve and fund loans in as little as a day, according to CEO Jamie Dimon. Meanwhile, OnDeck is eyeing similar partnerships with other banks.

Citigroup is no longer buying loans off the Prosper Marketplace platform and repackaging them into securities, a person familiar with the matter said.

The New York company makes two- to three-year term loans of between $3,000 and $25,000. It is seeking to distinguish itself from other digital lenders by targeting young adults who have limited credit histories.

Federal rules for technology-based firms providing the fast-moving sector certainty and consistency would be a benefit, even if rules are suboptimal.

The findings from the California Department of Business Oversight, which also included data on interest rates and delinquencies, could be a precursor to new state regulations.

The bank says the partnership will improve the online experience for borrowers. It is just the latest example of banks and online lenders teaming up to speed up decision-making and win over new customers.

BlueVine, an online business lender based in Palo Alto, Calif., is branching into unsecured lending.

Lending Club, Prosper Marketplace and Funding Circle are locking arms to create a new trade group that will represent the marketplace lending industry in Washington.

As more employers offer student loan repayment assistance to their workers, lenders that specialize in refinancing debt — like Citizens Financial and SoFi — see an opportunity to reel in more customers.

The former head of the FDIC has a longstanding interest in small-dollar consumer lending.

The payments pioneer is transforming its merchant cash advance into a business loan, a move that has significant legal and regulatory implications.

As online business lenders grow in number, size and prominence, a new trade group is being launched to represent their interests in Washington.

The subprime consumer lender currently rejects many of its personal loan applicants. It hopes to qualify more borrowers by offering cash to those who are willing to put their cars up as collateral.