Dolton, the new global CEO for Zopa describes how he sees the environment, in an interview with Red Herring.

Mr. Dolton ascribed the flurry of activity in online lending to several factors: increased comfort with electronic media among more people, greater transparency in lending rates across the country, and the rise of companies like eBay, which operate on trust.

Source: RED HERRING | Bye-Bye Bankers?

Still no dates given for the US entry however.  This is taking longer than expected, no doubt as a result of work associated with regulatory approvals in the various US jurisdictions.

We obviously have a different regulatory structure here, said Mr. Dolton, who formerly served as chief executive of Chela Education Financing, a student loan provider. He declined to offer a target date for launch, which will be funded by the latest venture round.