Two consumer lenders, Wisr and Credit Corp, issued market updates yesterday showing a strong recovery in personal lending this year. Wisr originated A$158 million of loans during the March quarter – a 63 per cent increase over the previous corresponding period.  Its loan book grew 129 per cent to $663 million over the same period. Risks may be increasing at the same time. Wisr wrote off $2.4 million of loans in the March quarter, compared with write-offs of $1.1 million in the December quarter.  Arrears rose from 81 basis points of on-balance sheet loans to 92 bps over the same period. Based on its current funding arrangements and interest rates, Wisr has a net interest margin of 8.3 per cent. The company started using its own customer credit score in February, claiming that with a total of $1 billion of loans originated since it was launched it has “significant customer data to optimise and internalise our lending engine and risk-return profile.” Credit Corp said its Australian and New Zealand personal loan businesses have experienced a recovery in demand. Lending volumes started picking up in November and have continued to be strong since then. Credit Corp is forecasting that its consumer lending book will hit $230 million by the end of June, regaining its pre-COVID peak and 50 per cent above the COVID low of $153 million in September 2020.