‘Bank on Dave’

Is this the solution to our banking troubles?

Dave Fishwick, has tried to set up his own bank. Only he can’t call it that, because he hasn’t got a banking license from the FSA – it’s actually the Burnley Savings and Loans Company, and its ‘depositors’ are really peer-to-peer lenders, since they are not protected by Government deposit insurance.

He’s successfully lending £25,000 a month from local savers to local businesses.

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Trust shaken by bank scandals: RBA

One of Australia’s top banking regulators says that recent global bank scandals ranging from the Barclay’s Libor affair to Wall Street bank JP Morgan uncovering billions of dollars in trading losses has further undermined “the bond of trust” between banks and the community.

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A Different Kind of High-Yield Investment

The concept itself is simple: Peer-to-peer lending creates the shortest possible distance between individual investors and individual borrowers, the source of capital and the use of capital. When you cut out the big banks, you create some savings that can then be passed on.

A free-market solution to earn income by letting an individual be their own bank.  This idea may be able to safely generate a 6-15% interest on your savings — allowing you a five-10-fold boost over annual savings and CD rates.

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Technology is disrupting financial services at a quickening pace

The pace of new developments in technology is unrelenting, and perhaps no industry is experiencing a more dramatic reinvention than financial services. Every corner of this vast industry is undergoing radical change as technology enables new opportunities for those who are nimble, and presents a substantial threat to those who are slow to embrace change.

Whether it’s spending, saving, borrowing, or investing your money, the recent impact of technology is dramatic.

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A Silicon Valley Bank in London

From Oxford colleges starting their own bank, to a peer-to-peer borrowing scheme bypassing traditional lenders, the innovators cash in on the hard times…

The American Silicon Valley Bank today announced the launch of its first UK commercial banking service for the UK’s burgeoning technology industry. The bank, which is the lender of choice amongst Silicon Valley’s buzzing tech scene in the US, now poses a threat to the traditional business lending models of the UK’s high street classics. It counts Facebook and LinkedIn in its roster of clients.

Meanwhile, on Saturday it was revealed that Zopa, has now hit more than £200m worth of loans through its peer-to-peer lending system.

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What’s The Future Of The Sharing Economy?

A few years ago, no one would have thought peer-to-peer asset sharing would become such a big thing. With the immense popularity of Airbnb and the emergence of thousands of other sharing companies globally, 2012 has quickly become the year of sharing.

The sky’s the limit for the sharing economy with consumer behavior shifting rapidly to be more selective, conscious, and community-based.

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Lending Club Offering a Record Number of New Loans

From an Investor’s perspective, Lending Club loans available on the platform vary from around 700 to 1,000 new loans per week. However, between June 3rd and  June 11, new loans available jumped from 833 to 1,844, with over 1,200 loans issued in the same period.

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Lending Club Raises $17.5 Million From Kleiner Perkins and John Mack

Lending Club the social (or peer-to-peer) lending site, has raised $15 million from Kleiner Perkins Caufield &Byers and $2.5 million from John Mack, the former CEO of Morgan Stanley.

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How it works: Debt consolidation with Prosper.com

“Debt consolidation” can sound complicated and downright confusing. But it’s really just about reducing your debt to a single monthly payment and then making a commitment to getting rid of it forever.

You could pay off your debt faster and pay lower lifetime interest and fees.

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Social lending: Zopa launches two- and four-year loans

Zopa is the largest social lending community, having helped match around £200m since launch in the mid-noughties.And it’s expanded its range to include two-and four-year loans, complementing the three-and five-year loans it already offered.

Borrowers taking out two-year deals through Zopa are typically enjoying even cheaper rates than three-year ones.

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