distributed lending

[jrtom]

http://money.cnn.com/2006/09/15/technology/disruptors_zopa.biz2/index.htm?postversion=2006092014

Not exactly "peer-to-peer", IMO, but interesting.

Hmm. If this takes off, I predict that Paypal is going to jump in there; they have the infrastructure to support it.

Comments

[owenthomas.livejournal.com]

Business 2.0? I think I've heard of them.

But I rather doubt that PayPal would get into this area. PayPal has been very careful not to get in the business of lending money, which would mean that it gets regulated very strictly as a bank. So far, it's only had to register as a money-transfer agent in states which require that.

[jrtom.livejournal.com]

Business 2.0? I think I've heard of them.

Really? Where? ;)

You could be right; I'm sure you've paid more attention to this sort of issue than I. But doesn't PayPal offer a credit card these days, and doesn't that entail some of this sort of regulation anyway?

[owenthomas.livejournal.com]

PayPal doesn't actually issue the card - it just licenses its brand to GE Money Bank. It also doesn't actually process its customers credit-card and bank-transfer transactions - Wells Fargo does that.

[jrtom.livejournal.com]

Fair enough.