What does it take to leave a prestigious law career, join the most hated government program in history, and then launch a fintech startup with no clients, no marketing materials, and no industry relationships? Ian Lampl did exactly that. Host Mark Ritter welcomes Ian, founder and CEO of LoanStreet, to discuss the evolution of loan servicing, commercial lending, and the broader fintech landscape. Ian shares his journey from Wall Street attorney to TARP deputy counsel to entrepreneur, offering candid insight into what it takes to build a company from scratch in the credit union space. The conversation covers how credit union balance sheet management tools have matured and where the biggest gaps remain.

IN THIS EPISODE:

  • 00:00 Mark opens with a look at 2026 lending trends and introduces loan participation expert Ian Lampl
  • 01:44 Ian reflects on his time at TARP, government oversight challenges, and lessons from the 2008 financial crisis
  • 06:18 From law firm to entrepreneur: Ian discusses the risk of leaving a stable career to build a fintech startup, and shares advice regarding starting your own business
  • 12:06 How the loan participation marketplace has grown in sophistication, scale, and frequency across the credit union industry
  • 15:15 Ian explains why credit unions underweight prepayment risk and how focusing on total return improves outcomes
  • 22:28 Inside LoanStreet’s commercial loan servicing platform and why modern solutions in this space remain rare
  • 28:31 Ian discusses the upcoming growth expected for LoanStreet

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • Loan participation has evolved from a last-resort liquidity move into one of the most powerful balance sheet management tools available to credit unions, with more institutions now using it earlier and at greater scale.
  • Credit unions consistently overweight charge-off risk while underweighting prepayment risk, and shifting toward a total return mindset could unlock stronger performance across programs like indirect auto and residential lending.
  • Modern loan servicing platforms for commercial lending are rare because building them requires deep industry knowledge, years of development, and significant fintech investment. LoanStreet is one of the few companies actively closing that gap, with a large R&D budget and updates released every two weeks.

RESOURCE LINKS:

Mark Ritter – LinkedIn
First Heritage – Website
LoanStreet – Website
Ian Lampl – Email

Mark Ritter is the CEO of MBFS and an expert in credit unions and business lending. His primary role at MBFS is overseeing the strategy of helping credit unions assist members with business needs and consulting with credit unions on planning the delivery of services to their membership.

Ian Lampl is the co-founder and CEO of LoanStreet Inc., an innovative online platform that helps financial institutions to manage, scale and analyze loans on their balance sheets, connect with partners and effectively share risk.

Prior to launching LoanStreet, Ian served as Deputy Chief Counsel for the Office of Financial Stability which implemented the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) for the United States Department of the Treasury. While at Treasury, Ian developed and managed a number of the Treasury programs to stem the financial crisis. For his work, he received the Treasury Secretary’s honor award for exemplary public service.

Ian is recognized as an industry leader in loan participations and is a frequent speaker at banking, credit union, and financial technology conferences. Before joining Treasury, Ian was an attorney at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, where he focused on commercial lending and securities offerings. He graduated with honors from both University of Chicago Law School and Princeton University, where he received a B.S.E. in Electrical Engineering.