This study examines key default determinants of fintech loans, using loan-level data from the LendingClub consumer platform during 2007–2018. We identify a robust set of contractual loan characteristics, borrower characteristics, and macroeconomic variables that are important in determining...

We show that social networks (Facebook connections) impact both the demand for and supply of consumer and small business loans originated on lending marketplaces. Loan demand increases substantially with past borrowing activities of geographically distant but socially connected areas, with an...

The traditional model of bank-led financial intermediation, where banks issue demandable deposits to savers and make informationally sensitive loans to borrowers, has seen a dramatic decline since 1970s. Instead, private credit is increasingly intermediated through arms-length transactions, such...

How does gaining access to expensive credit affect the well-being of credit-constrained households? I use plausibly exogenous zip code level variation in the temporal accessibility of payday loans to examine the causal effects of access to payday loans on household well-being. Using suicide...

We provide evidence of discrimination in auto lending. Combining credit bureau records with borrower characteristics, we find that Black and Hispanic applicants' loan approval rates are 1.5 percentage points lower, even controlling for creditworthiness. In aggregate, discrimination crowds out...

This paper applies dynamic panel estimates on 22 commercial banks in Pakistan to determine the factors that affect their asset quality. Consequently, the study tests for a comprehensive array of both bank-specific and macroeconomic variables collected quarterly from 2008 to 2016. The empirical...

A recent dramatic rise in subprime foreclosures has led to calls for restrictions against a range of loan features loosely termed “predatory.” Several cities and states have enacted regulations to curb predatory practices, and some advocacy groups endorse action at the federal level. Using...

To date the debate over payday lending has focused on whether access to such lending is on net beneficial or harmful to consumer welfare. However, payday loans are not one product but many, and different forms of lending may have different welfare implications. The current diversity in payday...

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is considering new regulation of payday lending and bank overdraft protection. The Dodd-Frank Act, which established the CFPB, recognizes that consumers benefit from competition among providers of consumer credit products. That law requires the...