2020-10-21
How COVID-19 Has Impacted The Lending Ecosystem Moving Into Q4
The lending ecosystem for personal loans experienced unprecedented disruption in Q2 of 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing economic impact. In a swift reaction, peer-to-peer loan providers were forced to freeze acquisition efforts, both digitally and directly, as investor demand in the personal loans market came to a halt.
With quarantine measures easing up and lending performance data coming in for Q3, loan providers are taking back to the market with cautious optimism. Outstanding loan performance data, as reported by dv01, signals a 70% recovery (to pre-Covid levels) of loan impairments (i.e., a delinquency or modification of a loan’s original repayment terms). This suggests that a majority of borrowers have been able to pay/manage their outstanding loans and that investors can expect normal returns, which allows lending platforms to unpause and/or expand underwriting criteria.
Loan providers are adopting the following strategies to increase acquisitions during Q4:
- Expanding credit boxes - Providers restricted originations to only the most creditworthy consumers during Q2. Now, providers are using updated underwriting criteria to extend offers to wider audiences outside of the super prime credit box. We expect more density and better offers for near-prime and subprime consumers.
- Adopting alternative credit models - Despite economic hardship, traditional credit scores have risen as credit cards have been paid down and consumer spending has dropped. The rise in scores, however, does not reflect the crunch on consumer cash flow and ability to repay loans. Providers are leveraging alternative credit models to distinguish cash-strapped consumers from those with liquidity. We expect providers using diverse credit models to perform more aggressively and profitably.
- Implementing additional verification - Providers are being more thorough in qualifying consumers during the application process, adding steps like employment verification to wider audiences. We expect an increase in a consumer’s time to fund as proving income or employment verification can add additional time from the original application to the disbursement of funds.
- Restaffing operations - Providers with applications and flows that are 100% digital will scale faster. Those who rely on call centers to walk consumers through applications will experience a slower return to market as they rush to hire personnel that were lost to Q2 cutbacks. We expect digital-first providers to gain considerable market share.
- Consolidating partnership channels by cost effectiveness - Acquisition teams at providers are also smaller, meaning the ability to manage multiple direct partnerships is curtailed. Providers are working to migrate direct relationships to API platforms, which reduces relationship management responsibilities while increasing conversion rates and cutting data costs.
We predict that the prevailing loan providers of Q4 will be digitally-focused, using alternative underwriting to identify previously disenfranchised consumers, while leveraging end-to-end digital experiences like Even over direct partnerships to scale and gain market share. Affiliate partners looking to monetize will see greater success in tailoring their audiences to align with the desired consumer populations of these foremost and optimized loan providers.
Disclaimer: The material provided on this site is not intended to provide legal, investment, or financial advice or to indicate the suitability of any Even Financial product or service to your unique circumstances. For specific advice about your unique circumstances, you may wish to consult a qualified professional. Any information or statistical data sourced by Even Financial through hyperlinks, from third-party websites, are provided for informational purposes only. While Even Financial finds these sources to be accurate, it does not endorse or guarantee any third-party content.
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Even Financial Adds Tally's Low-Interest Line of Credit to its Embedded Finance Marketplace
NEW YORK, NY, March 15, 2022 -- Even Financial ("Even"), the category-leading embedded finance marketplace and independently managed subsidiary of MoneyLion, Inc. (NYSE: ML), has announced a new partnership with Tally, a leading financial automation company, to include the company's low-interest credit offerings on its platform.
"Tally has built a powerful tech-enabled system to help people solve one of the biggest financial problems today: paying off credit card debt," said Phill Rosen, Founder and CEO of Even. "We're thrilled to welcome Tally's line of credit offerings to Even's unparalleled network of financial services providers."
Tally is designed to help its members pay off their debt faster and save them money on interest and late fees. Members can lower their monthly payment with Tally's lower-interest line of credit, if eligible. Typically, at least a 580 FICO score is needed. Tally's system is customized to save people as much money as possible.
"Americans today owe nearly $1 trillion in credit card debt. We know from our research that many want to pay down their debt but struggle to get started. That's where Tally comes in," said Jason Huynh, VP of Credit, Analytics & Operations at Tally. "Our system combines financial automation with a low-interest line of credit to give people the help they need to get on track to pay off their credit card debt for good. We're thrilled that our partnership with Even will allow Tally to help even more people."
The launch of Tally on the Even platform enables consumers to get matched with Tally's custom, low-interest line of credit accounts of up to $25,000 in just a few minutes. After getting matched, eligible consumers complete the process through the Tally app. There are no out-of-pocket costs.
Tally is the latest partner to join the Even marketplace, a growing network of over 400 financial services partners and 500 channel partners covering a breadth of financial services including loans, credit cards, mortgages, savings, and insurance products. Even's marketplace technology enables any company to add financial products to its business, with full compliance and security, at scale.
About Even Financial
Even digitally connects and matches consumers with real-time, personalized financial product recommendations from banks, insurance carriers, and fintech companies on mobile apps, websites, and other digital touchpoints through its marketplace technology. Even's infrastructure leverages machine learning and advanced data science to solve a significant pain point in financial services customer acquisition, seamlessly bridging financial services providers (such as SoFi) and channel partners (such as TransUnion) via its industry-leading API and embedded finance marketplaces. Even enables any company to add financial products to its business, with full compliance and security at scale. Even was named one of "America's Best Startup Employers'' by Forbes for 2021 and was named to the 2021 Deloitte Technology Fast 500, which recognizes the fastest growing tech companies in the world. Learn more at www.evenfinancial.com.
About Tally
Tally is a consumer financial tech company pioneering full-service financial automation to help people save money, pay down their debt and reach their goals sooner. Founded in 2015, the company built the first fully automated debt manager to help put billions of dollars back in people's pockets. In 2021, Tally was named to Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies list and to Quartz's Best Companies for Remote Workers. Previously, Tally made Forbes' Next Billion Dollar Startup list, Forbes' Fintech 50 list, and the app won Real Simple's Smart Money award. Learn more at meettally.com.
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Even
Even Financial’s Embedded Finance Marketplaces Surpass $5 Billion in Credit Facilitated
NEW YORK, NY, April 19, 2022 -- Even Financial (“Even”), the category-leading embedded finance marketplace and independent subsidiary of MoneyLion, Inc. (NYSE: ML), has announced it has now facilitated over $5 billion in consumer credit, as of March 2022. Leveraging machine learning and advanced data science, Even solves a significant pain point in financial services customer acquisition by seamlessly bridging financial service providers and channel partners via its industry-leading API and embedded finance marketplaces.
“Surpassing $5 billion in consumer credit facilitated through our marketplace is an enormous achievement for Even as we continue to help build the future of finance technology,” said Phill Rosen, Founder and Chief Executive Officer. “Access to credit has long been a challenge for many hard-working Americans, and we are dedicated to alleviating this issue by providing consumers personalized financial services offers that meet their needs, when they need it most. Reaching the $5 billion milestone reaffirms that our mission is driving significant value for both consumers and our partners."
Even has grown its embedded finance marketplace offerings beyond loans to cover a breadth of additional financial services including credit cards, mortgages, savings, and insurance products. Within loans, Even offers the largest network of premium, connected loan providers - across a wide array of products including unsecured personal loans, secured personal loans, line of credit, student loan refinancing, and auto loan refinancing. Leading financial services providers, such as LendingClub and SoFi, partner with Even to reach qualified consumers searching for loans, benefiting from Even’s unparalleled network and native integrations.
The company has continued its rapid growth trajectory in 2022, growing its network to include over 400 financial services partners and 500 channel partners. Even's marketplace technology enables any company to add financial products to its business, with full compliance and security at scale. Earlier this year, Even announced the close of its acquisition by MoneyLion, the award-winning digital financial platform, which will continue to advance their combined efforts of providing financial access and advice to hard working Americans.
About Even Financial
Even digitally connects and matches consumers with real-time, personalized financial product recommendations from banks, insurance carriers, and fintech companies on mobile apps, websites, and other digital touchpoints through its marketplace technology. Even's infrastructure leverages machine learning and advanced data science to solve a significant pain point in financial services customer acquisition, seamlessly bridging financial services providers (such as SoFi) and channel partners (such as TransUnion) via its industry-leading API and embedded finance marketplaces. Even enables any company to add financial products to its business, with full compliance and security at scale. Even was named one of "America's Best Startup Employers'' by Forbes for 2022 and was named to the 2021 Deloitte Technology Fast 500, which recognizes the fastest growing tech companies in the world. Learn more at evenfinancial.com.
Media Contact
media@evenfinancial.com