LendingClub / Radius Bank 2021
LendingClub acquired Radius Bancorp for $185M on February 18, 2020.
- Target
- Radius Bancorp
- Acquirer
- LendingClub
- Deal value
- $185M
- Deal type
- Mixed
- Announced
- February 18, 2020
- Sub-sector
- Lending
Transaction overview
- LendingClub announced the acquisition of Radius Bancorp on February 18, 2020 for approximately $185 million.
- Consideration consisted of roughly $140 million in cash and $45 million in LendingClub stock.
- The deal closed February 1, 2021 after receiving OCC and Federal Reserve approval.
- Radius Bancorp was the parent of Radius Bank, a Boston-based federally chartered digital bank.
- Radius Bank held approximately $1.4 billion in assets at the time of announcement.
- LendingClub is a San Francisco-based online lending marketplace, founded in 2006 and listed on the NYSE.
- The acquisition gave LendingClub a national bank charter, allowing it to originate and hold loans on its own balance sheet.
- LendingClub became the first US fintech lender to acquire a federally chartered bank.
Why it matters
- The deal marked the first time a US fintech marketplace lender completed an acquisition of a federally chartered bank.
- Owning a bank charter allowed LendingClub to retain loans on its balance sheet rather than relying entirely on third-party capital markets funding.
Strategic rationale
LendingClub becomes the first US fintech to acquire a regulated bank, converting its marketplace lender into a full-spectrum digital bank.
Deal terms & multiples
About Radius Bancorp
Radius Bancorp was the holding company for Radius Bank, a federally chartered commercial bank headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The bank operated primarily as a digital-first institution, offering checking, savings, and lending products through online and mobile channels rather than a traditional branch network. At announcement, Radius Bank held roughly $1.4 billion in total assets. The bank had built a business-to-business banking-as-a-service model, providing white-label banking infrastructure to fintech partners including Aspiration and Brex.
- Founded
- 1987
- HQ
- United States
- Key metric
- ~$1.4 billion in total assets at announcement (February 2020)
About LendingClub NYSE: LC
LendingClub is a San Francisco-based online lending marketplace founded in 2006. The company connects borrowers seeking personal loans with investors and institutional capital, and went public on the NYSE in December 2014 under the ticker LC. Before the Radius acquisition, LendingClub operated without a bank charter, selling substantially all loans it originated to third-party investors. The Radius deal shifted that model, allowing LendingClub to fund and hold a portion of its loan originations directly.
- Founded
- 2006
- Ticker
- NYSE: LC
Frequently asked questions
How much did LendingClub pay for Radius Bank?
LendingClub paid approximately $185 million in total, split between roughly $140 million in cash and $45 million in LendingClub stock.
When did the LendingClub and Radius Bank deal close?
The acquisition closed on February 1, 2021, about 11 months after the February 18, 2020 announcement.
Why did LendingClub buy Radius Bank?
The acquisition gave LendingClub a national bank charter, allowing it to hold loans on its own balance sheet and accept federally insured deposits rather than relying solely on capital markets funding.
What did Radius Bank do before the acquisition?
Radius Bank operated as a digital-first commercial bank in Boston, offering consumer banking products and providing white-label banking infrastructure to fintech companies.
How large was Radius Bank at the time of the deal?
Radius Bank held approximately $1.4 billion in total assets at the time LendingClub announced the acquisition in February 2020.
Was this the first fintech acquisition of a US bank?
LendingClub's acquisition of Radius Bank is widely reported as the first instance of a US fintech marketplace lender completing an acquisition of a federally chartered bank.
Sources
- ir.lendingclub.com /News/news-details/2021/LendingClub-Completes-Acquisition-of-Radius-Bancorp/default.aspx