• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
TechLending Club

Embattled Lending Club Seeks Help Finding Investors To Buy Loans

By
Reuters
Reuters
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Reuters
Reuters
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 20, 2016, 4:36 PM ET
Courtesy of LendingClub
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

(Reuters) – LendingClub has hired investment bank Jefferies to help it find investors for loan funding, people familiar with the matter said on Friday, as the U.S. online lender seeks to replenish investments after a probe over the sale of some of its loans.

A number of LendingClub’s largest investors have halted purchases of its loans, the company said in a quarterly filing this week, after an internal company probe found it had falsified documentation when selling a $22 million package of loans to an investor, which sources have said is Jefferies.

Since then, LendingClub has tapped Jefferies to reach out to new potential investors to sell loans directly, including alternative asset managers such as Apollo Global Management, Fortress Investment Group and J.C. Flowers & Co, the people said this week.

It was not clear which investors will participate in the latest effort. Apollo, Fortress and J.C. Flowers declined to comment. Jefferies also declined to comment.

U.S. bank Citigroup told U.S. regulators last week that it had rebuffed a request from Jefferies to support LendingClub, according to a May 12 memo seen by IFR, a member of the Thomson Reuters group. Citigroup declined to comment.

In a statement, LendingClub said it had been approached by a number of existing and potential new investors about large purchases of loans.

“We respect and understand our partners’ needs to conduct due diligence, are engaged in constant, productive discussions, and are encouraged by the progress,” the company said.

“These are complex discussions that by their nature will take some time to complete. Meanwhile, our platform continues to operate with existing investors and more returning each day.”

It is likely that investors who do agree to participate will demand a discount for buying the loans, some sources said.

Investors who buy large quantities of loans will be offered warrants that give them shares in LendingClub, some of the people said.

LendingClub is not currently seeking to raise any equity or debt financing, sources said. The sources asked not to be identified because the matter is confidential.

LendingClub has $900 million in cash and a $120 million line of credit, the company said.

THE PENDULUM HAS SWUNG

Hailed as a “fintech” rival to traditional banks in the wake of the financial crisis, peer-to-peer lenders like LendingClub enjoyed rapid loan growth and attracted plenty of investor dollars through their promise to provide quick and cheap unsecured personal loans online.

LendingClub, the first peer-to-peer or marketplace lender to go public in late 2014 with a market value of $9 billion, was the biggest name in the sector. Founder and CEO Renauld Laplanche was its public face.

Laplanche resigned after the internal probe into documentation backing $22 million of loans. He declined to comment for this story.

Shares in the San Francisco-based company (LC) have dropped 45% since his departure, leaving it with a market value of $1.4 billion.

The U.S. Department of Justice has launched an investigation into the events leading up to Laplanche’s departure and the New York state’s financial regulator is investigating the business practices of LendingClub, including the interest rates it charges consumers and its relationships with banks.

Even before the current controversy, institutional investors, which account for the bulk of the industry’s funding, had pared investments in loans from such marketplace lenders.

Blackrock, the world’s largest money manager, turned its back on the sector in August because it was unhappy with the disclosures it was getting on loans from Prosper, the No 2 player after Lending Club, a source familiar with the situation said.

Blackrock also felt that the returns from the loans were not as attractive as more established asset classes, the source said.

For about LendingClub, watch:

In a statement Prosper said it continued to give its loan buyers the same level of information at the time of loan purchase as it always has done.

“We’ve also enhanced our data services to provide more loan-level transparency for Prosper investors,” Prosper said.

A Federal Reserve interest rate rise in December sparked concern about how peer-to-peer lenders would cope with rising default rates. These companies have yet to be tested through a full credit cycle.

Some investors also were spooked by the revelation that Prosper, the No 2 marketplace lender, had made a $28,500 loan to one of the people involved in a mass shooting in San Bernardino last year.

Some platforms have looked in new directions to raise funding. Student and personal loan platform SoFi and near-prime lender Avant both launched funds to invest in their own loans.

“It was a sellers’ market, two years ago. And these platforms had significant power to dictate selling terms,” said Jon Barlow, a board member of P2P commercial mortgage startup Money360 and former CEO of Eaglewood Capital Management, one of the first institutional firms to securitize Lending Club loans.

“The pendulum, I think, will shift back to the buyer.”

About the Author
By Reuters
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Michael Burry just shorted Caterpillar’s 172% AI rally. One analyst says his bet won’t even matter
Investingstock prices
Michael Burry just shorted Caterpillar’s 172% AI rally. One analyst says his bet won’t even matter
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 2, 2026
3 hours ago
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
EconomyDebt
AI’s $2.2 trillion deficit fix is already half fake, economists say
By Tristan BoveJuly 2, 2026
4 hours ago
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei
AIEye on AI
Anthropic’s Fable model is back. But U.S. AI policy is still a mess
By Jeremy KahnJuly 2, 2026
4 hours ago
ai
North AmericaImmigration
Trump’s $46 billion ‘smart wall’ with Mexico bets on AI and scale
By Rebecca Santana and The Associated PressJuly 2, 2026
5 hours ago
sk
AISouth Korea
AI “grief videos” turn mourning into a $390 service in South Korea
By Hyung-Jin Kim and The Associated PressJuly 2, 2026
5 hours ago
Securitize CEO Carlos Domingo looks to the far right during a conference.
CryptoBlockchain
Securitize is latest crypto company to go public as BlackRock-backed firm sees stock jump 3% on debut
By Camila Grigera NaónJuly 2, 2026
6 hours ago

Most Popular

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
Big Tech
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 1, 2026
2 days ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
8 days ago
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 1, 2026
1 day ago
Trump got a $78K pension from the Screen Actors Guild in 2025 because he appeared in Home Alone 2 in 1992
Politics
Trump got a $78K pension from the Screen Actors Guild in 2025 because he appeared in Home Alone 2 in 1992
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 1, 2026
1 day ago
Today, Emily Blunt is worth $80 million thanks to her Hollywood career—but she actually wanted to be a UN Spanish translator on $80K
Success
Today, Emily Blunt is worth $80 million thanks to her Hollywood career—but she actually wanted to be a UN Spanish translator on $80K
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 2, 2026
16 hours ago
CEO of $248 billion cybersecurity company says workers are about to face a ‘Darwinian moment’ thanks to AI: Evolve or get cut
Success
CEO of $248 billion cybersecurity company says workers are about to face a ‘Darwinian moment’ thanks to AI: Evolve or get cut
By Emma BurleighJuly 1, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.