Mon, Nov 17, 2014

Orchard Platform Announces Partnership with Duff & Phelps

Adds Valuation Services for Institutional Investors on the Orchard Platform

Orchard Platform, an investment and analytics platform focused on the global marketplace lending market, has formalized a partnership with Duff & Phelps, the premier global valuation and corporate finance advisor. This partnership will enable Orchard clients to effectively and accurately view their online lending portfolios and obtain independent fair values and return analytics seamlessly integrated in to one platform.

Online direct lending, also known as marketplace lending, allows borrowers to apply online for loans funded by a diverse set of investors. Emerging marketplace lenders, including companies like Lending Club and Prosper, are giving borrowers access to a broader source of capital. These new funding products are unique and require robust analysis for investors to maximize returns.

Orchard's partnership with Duff & Phelps adds another layer of data intelligence, as clients will have the ability to view Duff & Phelps valuation and portfolio return analyses alongside their portfolio in the Orchard system.

"One of the challenges in any emerging marketplace environment is the issue of data standardization," said Matt Burton, CEO of Orchard. "Our partnership with Duff & Phelps will help by providing a view into valuation data that is consistent across loan originators and individual loans. This creates significant operational efficiency for institutional investors and will allow them to focus on their investment strategy."

"We're excited to be able to provide our analytical insight tools to the institutional investors on the Orchard Platform," said Duff & Phelps CEO Noah Gottdiener. "The growing interest from these large investors is a clear sign that marketplace lending has arrived."

Marketplace lending continues to benefit from increasingly sophisticated investors and an expanding range of service providers. Traditional banks are also supporting the growth of loan originators by investing in their ability to effectively and efficiently fund and securitize loans. The space has also seen increased public awareness with major recent news events, including Lending Club's planned IPO.

"The marketplace lending space is on a great growth trajectory," said Burton, "and the new tools and infrastructure that are quickly coming on line will certainly fuel this growth."

About Orchard
Orchard Platform is an investment and analytics platform that has quickly become the place where institutional investors and loan originators connect and transact. Founded in New York City in 2013, Orchard focuses on building the systems and infrastructure that will allow marketplace lending to grow into a major financial market. Orchard enables institutional investors to scale their investment in the space by providing investment strategy, real-time trading and reporting, premier analytics, and access to supply. Orchard connects originators to a variety of capital providers and enables them to focus on making loans. Orchard Platform Advisors, LLC is an SEC Registered Investment Adviser, and is also recognized as a clear thought leader in the space and publishes a blog on its website exploring analytical and technical topics related to lending, rel="noopener noreferrer" and runs the monthly Marketplace Lending Meetup.

About Duff & Phelps
Duff & Phelps is the premier global valuation and corporate finance advisor with expertise in complex valuation, dispute consulting, M&A and restructuring. The firm's more than 1,000 employees serve a diverse range of clients from offices in North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.duffandphelps.com.
M&A advisory and capital raising services in the United States are provided by Duff & Phelps Securities, LLC. Member FINRA/SIPC. Pagemill Partners is a Division of Duff & Phelps Securities, LLC. M&A advisory and capital raising services in the United Kingdom and Germany are provided by Duff & Phelps Securities Ltd., which is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Media Contact:

Lisa van der Pool 
InkHouse Media + Marketing
781-966-4142

Sherri Saltzman
Director,Duff & Phelps
+1 973 775 8329
[email protected]



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