there's a lot less fanfare around this one versus on deck. wonder why that is.
There's an easy answer to this. Lending Club appeals to the masses in two ways
1. They lend to consumers (on deck doesn't)
2. Consumers can invest in the loans (you can't do that with on deck)
There are a littany of other ways they differ but because on deck finances businesses and is funded by financial institutions, there is a lot less to get hopped up about for the average consumer or retail investor.
It is the end of the year and investors may be closing out positions for tax purposes. Regardless some of the immediate excitement over OnDeck has fizzled. They haven't really been mentioned in the news since the IPO day. I am intrigued to watch what happens once shorts arrive on the scene which I believe becomes acceptable 30 days after the IPO day.
The average interest rate of 41.2% reveals how risky this business is. In fact I am not aware of any lender who charges a rate higher, or anywhere near what On Deck gets. Loan losses are running 11.3% of principal. Loan loss reserves totaled 43.7% of revenues in the first nine months of 2014, similar to prior periods. This same ratio is currently under 10% for most banks, under 5% for the better performing ones.
I'm starting to feel like it can only get worse from here on out.
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