The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is proposing that they include P2P platforms in the review of the high cost credit industry; the city watchdog said in a release that there is currently a gap in the regulations for P2P; according to the watchdog this means creditworthiness requirements will be enacted when there is a "significant increase in the amount of credit or the credit limit under a P2P agreement"; the FCA explained further changes could come after this initial review period ends on October 31; John Coley, financial services risk director at PwC, explained to Peer2Peer Finance News, "The FCA has published proposals that potentially have a significant impact on firms operating in the consumer credit sector, these include proposed changes for assessing creditworthiness, feedback on its rules limiting so-called payday-loans, and insights into its continuing work into the motor vehicle finance sector." Source
The Financial Conduct Authority has issued an update on its rules for the crowdfunding market; the update is based on feedback received since July and its authorization process; seems there will be a number of modifications; some of the key areas for new regulation in P2P lending include disclosure, wind-down plans, mortgage lending standards, cross-platform investment, investment limits, operational risk complexity, marketing promotions, provision funds, money handling standards, regulatory arbitrage, maturity mismatching, investment for institutional investors and liquidity risk for IFISA investors. Source
P2P lenders in the UK will be required to give information to investors on loan performance; the new measure is expected to be announced this year with implementation not likely until mid-2018; both information on delinquent loans and due diligence were included in the FCA's interim consultation paper; the latest review by the FCA is the second in two years. Source
The Financial Conduct Authority released its interim update on crowdfunding rules last week; the update reported that the regulator would be scrutinizing numerous factors pertaining to P2P lending in the UK; one such factor, discussed by the Financial Times, includes the disclosure of loan performance; the introduction of provision funds has caused this disclosure to potentially be misleading for investors; in some cases platforms use provision funds to cover defaults for borrowers; this action could potentially lead to better than actual loan performance on the loans. Source
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has requested that P2P lenders not lend to each other through industry network lending; the request comes as the regulator continues to increase its oversight and understanding of the industry; in the FCA's report it says that the industry network lending could be in violation of rules that require deposits for such transactions. Source
In their recently completed review, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) was particularly worried about some platforms using customer money to buy loans from rival platforms; FCA CEO Andrew Bailey explained that platforms don't have enough loans to present so in turn they use investor money to buy up loans from a rival platform; this is worrisome as investors are not being told the correct risks; Mr. Bailey did not disclose any platforms by name and said the issue was not widespread but worth keeping an eye on. Source
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) announced on Wednesday that it would leave its federal funds rate unchanged; the Fed increased the rate to 0.50% to 0.75% at its last meeting in December and predictions have called for more aggressive increases in 2017 however it seems they may be later in the year; Janet Yellen speaks before Congress in February and the market is currently reporting an 18% probability of an increase in March at the FOMC's next meeting. Source
Alternative data scoring considerations are becoming more prevalent in today's credit market; the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has announced a public comment period seeking feedback on the potential use of alternative credit sources such as mobile phone bills and rent payments in credit approvals; the CFPB is seeking to identify how it might be able to serve consumers with minimal credit history; it says that approximately 26 million Americans have no credit histories and an additional 19 million consumers lack enough credit information to produce a credit score. Source
The Federal Reserve increased its federal funds rate by 0.25% following its March Federal Open Market Committee meeting; the rate is now at 0.75% to 1.00%; the Fed also alluded to plans for two more rate increases in 2017. Source
The Federal Reserve has announced it will hold an industry conference on financial innovation, titled, "Financial Innovation: Online Lending to Households and Small Businesses"; the event will take place on December 2 and will involve academics, industry participants and policymakers; discussions will focus on academic research and the evolving online lending industry. Source