P2P lender Ratesetter opens its loan book
Peer to peer lender RateSetter has published its loan book details in spreadsheet format, with information on every loan originated through the lending platform since its launch in late 2014 up until 31 December 2015. The information provided shows that just over A$20 million in unsecured personal loans have been funded, with about $3 million of the principal amount repaid. The spreadsheet shows that most of the 1239 loans on Ratesetter's books have either been repaid or were on schedule - a notable increase on the $15 million in loans to 900 borrowers in November, when the platform "celebrated" its first anniversary. In July 2015, RateSetter became the first Australian lender to fully implement comprehensive credit reporting data sharing through credit reporting bureau, Veda, a move the lender self-described as "a game changer" as it allowed true risk-based pricing of loans.To date, this has proved to be accurate, with the number of loans 30 days overdue or "in collections" sitting at single figures, and none of the borrowers shown as having defaulted, as at 31 December 2015. Data in the loan book includes loan amounts and purpose, interest rates and "anonymised" information on borrowers, such as age, gender, state or territory of residency, employment status, income bracket and home ownership status.