Payday lender Speedy Cash files for IPO

The parent company of payday lender Speedy Cash has filed for a $100 million IPO. It plans to trade on the NYSE under ticker symbol CURO, with Credit Suisse listed as left lead underwriter. The Kansas-based company reports $33 million of net income of $442 million of revenue for the first half of 2017, and is owned by private equity firm FFL Partners.

Tricky timing: This filing comes just weeks after the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau issued strict new rules on payday lending, with most provisions slated to become effective in mid-2019. If not overturned by Congress – or rescinded by whoever follows Richard Cordray as CFPB boss – these regulations would eventually eat into both Speedy Cash's top and bottom lines, even if they also prompt industry consolidation.