Zopa , an online peer - to - peer lending platform , has fuelled its growth with riskier loans , according to credit ratings agency Fitch ’s analysis . Fitch noted a “dramatic” growth in lending volumes corresponding to the shift, with 80% of Zopa’s total £1.6 billion in consumer loans being made after this point. The first - ever rating of Zopa ’s securitised loans – the first to be offered by a European consumer marketplace , – found that riskier lending increased at the same time as Zopa ’s growth starting in 2013 . Riskier loans included lending to those with lower average credit scores , giving longer terms and having a higher share of debt ##or loans . A total of 80 % of UK $ £ 1.6bn consumer loans were made after default .
Zopa , an online peer - to - peer lending platform , has fuelled its growth with riskier loans , according to credit ratings agency Fitch ’s analysis . The first - ever rating of Zopa ’s securitised loans – the first to be offered by a European consumer marketplace , – found that riskier lending increased at the same time as Zopa ’s growth starting in 2013 . Riskier loans included lending to those with lower average credit scores , giving longer terms and having a higher share of debt ##or loans . A total of 80 % of UK $ £ 1.6bn consumer loans were made after default .