A British peer-to-peer property lender has taken the unusual step of appealing to its regulator for help after one of its biggest borrowers threatened to sue the company and many of its investors.
Retail investors in Lendy are already facing tens of millions of pounds in potential losses after almost two-thirds of borrowers failed to repay their loans on time, according to a Financial Times analysis of its loanbook.
The developments threaten to trigger the first big crisis in Europe’s rapidly expanding peer-to-peer industry, at a time when the sector is fighting to convince regulators it does not need stricter regulation.