New research indicates political preferences influence online lending decisions

If you need a loan, you might try walking into a bank branch and meeting with a loan officer. But you might also try a peer-to-peer online lending platform such as Prosper.com or Kiva. These platforms publish your loan request and interested investors—individuals or companies—fund your loan. In contrast to a bank loan in which the money comes from the bank, the money in a peer-to-peer loan comes from a group of investors, many of whom may be individuals similar to the borrower.