Marketplace Lending Association

If Gov. Jerry Brown signs the legislation headed to his desk, it would be the first law of its kind in the U.S. It is designed to allow small-business owners to make comparisons between offers in the often bewildering world of online business lending.

Consumers who have borrowed from online lenders owe more and have lower credit scores than similarly situated consumers who have not used online lenders, according to a study released Thursday by the Cleveland Fed. The provocative findings seem likely to spark intense debate.