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.

Even as JPMorgan Chase tries to beat fintech firms at their own game it's still looking to these upstarts for inspiration, its CEO says.

Regulators and lawmakers must exercise healthy caution before granting fintech firms preemptive powers via national bank charters or otherwise.

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 the pressure builds for mortgage lenders to offer digital — specifically mobile — tools, innovators in the space are encouraging the industry to keep the customer as the focus in designing new offerings.

The deal to buy TradeKing would allow the online-only bank to offer wealth-building products to its roughly 1.1 million depositors. The additional low-cost deposits could also help fund loan growth as it looks to expand beyond auto lending and into mortgages and credit cards.

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.