July 17, 2019 @ 9:54 am By JD Alois  |  

Varo Money has been in operations for years now providing banking services in a digital only environment to a growing number of consumers. Like all other US-based aspiring digital banks, Varo has had to leverage regulatory arbitrage to provide its services by partnering with another… Read More

April 24, 2019 @ 8:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Technology and innovation have been transforming financial services since long before smartphones and machine learning became frequent topics at banking conferences across the country. From the development of double-entry accounting and the first stock exchange to the more recent revolutions brought about by ATMs, debit… Read More

April 18, 2019 @ 11:52 am By JD Alois  |  

Recently, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) published its Small Business Lending Survey for 2018. Included within the report was an ongoing discussion of “non-bank lenders” or online lending platforms including direct and marketplace lenders. First, the FDIC acknowledges the profound importance of small business… Read More

February 25, 2019 @ 9:42 am By JD Alois  |  

There has been growing chatter that Square (NYSE: SQ) may soon receive approval regarding their application to become an Industrial Loan Company (ILC) which is similar to a bank. The change of leadership at the FDIC has set a more positive tone for Fintechs and their… Read More

December 24, 2018 @ 7:07 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

Payment process platform Square has reportedly reapplied for its banking license. This news comes less than six months after the company withdrew its application.  According to Finextra, the company previously submitted its banking license application with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to become a… Read More

December 4, 2018 @ 9:22 am By JD Alois  |  

Multiple federal agencies have come together to encourage banks to innovate when it comes to compliance. The statement is part of a governmental working group that has been created to collaborate between some of the financial regulatory entities. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency… Read More

July 5, 2018 @ 8:35 pm By Samantha Hurst  |  

Payment process platform Square announced on Thursday it has withdrawn its regulatory banking licensing application. According to Reuters, the company applied with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC) for a special “industrial loan company (ILC)” last year. If granted, the license would have allowed non-traditional financial firms… Read More

October 24, 2017 @ 9:59 am By JD Alois  |  

Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) has released a comment refernencing a speech by FDIC Chairman Martin Gruenberg on the importance of small banks and the regulatory burden. The ICBA says excessive regulations is forcing the reduction of community banks – a truism that has… Read More

July 25, 2017 @ 8:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Varo Money has applied for a national bank charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) for federal deposit insurance. This is the next step in creating a digital only challenger bank (Varo Bank) that… Read More

July 24, 2017 @ 1:46 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last week, the Independent Community Bankers of America  (ICBA) sent a letter to the attention of Kathy Moe, Regional Director of the FDIC in San Francisco. The subject of the letter was the ICBA’s vehement opposition to Fintech darling SoFi’s effort to become a licensed… Read More

June 20, 2017 @ 3:37 pm By JD Alois  |  

The  Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), a lobbying group representing small banks, wants to put the Kibosh on SoFi offering banking services in the US. As was recently reported, SoFi has applied for a Charter as it seeks to broaden its services to a far wider audience…. Read More

June 13, 2017 @ 3:29 pm By JD Alois  |  

SoFi has officially filed with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to create a state chartered bank. The filing is not unexpected as SoFi revealed its intent to pursue a banking charter this past May. In early 2017, SoFi acquired Zenbanx, a Delaware-based firm providing multi-currency mobile… Read More

December 6, 2016 @ 3:04 pm By Jessica Pham  |  

Senior Fellow at Harvard Business School Karen Gordon Mills along with VP of Strategy at Fundera, Brayden McCarthy, have recently posted a working paper on SME lending. Mills is also the former Administrator of the Small Business Administration – a post she held during the Obama administration just… Read More

August 22, 2016 @ 12:06 pm By JD Alois  |  

An article in WSJ.com today states the “regulatory advantage may be fleeting” for online lenders. The author pointed to an initiative by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) that may add new rules for banks working with online lenders that could add cost to these… Read More

April 1, 2016 @ 10:32 am By Samantha Hurst  |  

On Friday, Chicago-based marketplace lending platform Avant announced it has appointed President of Washington College and former head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Sheila Bair as a new member of its board. Al Goldstein, co-founder and CEO of Avant, stated: “Sheila’s proven track… Read More

February 21, 2016 @ 2:35 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Federal Deposit and Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Winter report includes a discussion on the marketplace lending sector. More specifically, the portion authored by Angela Herrboldt, Senior Examination Specialist Division of Risk Management Supervision, reviews risk and the importance of bankers and examiners understanding this fast… Read More

November 21, 2015 @ 6:09 pm By JD Alois  |  

The FDIC has published an advisory on Effective Risk Management Practices for Purchased Loans and Purchased Loan Participations.  The document states that banks should use caution when purchasing loans or participating in shared credit facilities.  Noting that some institutions have experienced some success to achieve growth… Read More