Goldman would make a lot of sense with the recent news that they're building a marketplace platform of their own. Why not jump start operations by buying the largest U.S. player?
But I think this would not bode well for retail investors. It's not hard for me to imagine that if acquired by a big bank, LC would switch to institutions and securitizations only.
Wow... a real wall street rumor piece.
Lets be clear. Unnamed source. This is a rumor. NO CURRENT FACTS.
The closest we come is "LendingClub could be an acquisition target for large financial institutions looking to make a substantial splash into the online lending industry, an industry consultant said."
And even if you believe the source is somebody really good, all the mysterious source said is "could be an acquisition target". A day never goes by that some consultant doesn't say that about some company.
Then there's that little unattributed sentence about Goldman Sachs. "Goldman Sachs, which served as underwriter on the IPO, was also retained to advise on a potential sale." Not a source or attribution in sight. The question is, when did this supposed event occur? Is this something recent? ... which is clearly what she hopes you will imply. Or is this something that happened way back before the IPO? ..which I suspect.
Mix half-truths and bland facts the right way it sounds like something is happening. I'll tell her what I tell those fellows who call me and claim to be from Microsoft and want me to start installing stuff to "clean" my computer ... "Get an honest job!"
Bah humbug.
Perhaps I'm just jaded, you know, understanding how "journalism" works these days and having used the internet before, so I'll just say:
"Well timed, industry consultant."
Anyone know what's the least time from IPO to acquisition for a company?