Analytics

While big U.S. banks look safer than they did last fall, credit-default swap spreads illuminate how the market has been drawing distinctions between the largest institutions.

Business lending has been a lonely source of recent growth for banks, and already it's coming under scrutiny for signs of a bubble in the making.

Chief executives from the country's largest banks sent a letter to the White House and Congress Thursday urging them to reach an agreement this week to raise the debt ceiling.

U.S. consumer bankcard delinquencies hit a record low in June, while charge-off rates also improved again, according to data Moody’s Investors Service released July 28.

ZestCash Inc. says it's the Google of alternative lending, based on the way it calculates underwriting for loans to risky borrowers; its rival BillFloat says it's the Facebook of alternative lending, because it knows its customers.

In its latest national report on consumer credit trends, Equifax finds the credit cycle has turned as new credit growth continues. Several portfolio metrics indicate the credit cycle is moving to stabilization and growth.

A slowdown in inflows at foreign entities appears to have played a role in the biggest jump in deposits at domestically-chartered banks in more than two years.

Credit card issuers wanting to improve profitability in the wake of the recession could get better results by looking more closely at their own fraud cases to determine specifically which type of fraud criminals are perpetrating and how to stop it, new research from Experian PLC suggests.

Bolstered by a resurgence in consumer spending and improving credit quality, American Express Co. on July 21 reported higher second-quarter income and revenues–and a steep increase in its marketing and rewards-program costs.

Reflecting continued growth in all three of the company’s business specialties, including private-label card services, Alliance Data Systems Corp. on July 21 reported double-digit increases in both second-quarter revenue and profit.

Default rates for first and second mortgages, bank cards and auto loans decreased in June, according to a report released Tuesday by Standard & Poor's and Experian.

Boosted by a massive reduction in loan-loss reserves, Bank of America Corp.’s global cards unit produced second-quarter net income of $2 billion, up 142% from $826 million a year earlier, the company announced Tuesday.

Consumer credit card debt fell by 10% during the first half of the year and by 17% from a year earlier, totaling $6,472 in June, according to data Credit Karma released July 13. The average credit score has remained steady at 667, down just two points from 665 in June 2010.

Issuers seeing the first signs of growth in consumer credit card borrowing in nearly three years might be hoping the long drought is over, but it is too soon to celebrate, analysts say.

Signaling plans to stick with its strategy of diversifying beyond its core general-purpose credit card operations, Capital One Financial Corp. on July 13 said its second-quarter purchase volume rose and its charge-off rate fell, partly as a result of its acquisition of the Kohl’s Corp. private-label credit card operation.

Call it a need for “consolidation education” among at least one in every four credit cardholders in the United Kingdom who carry balances but who are unaware of other loan products to consolidate their card debt.

As potential buyers kick the tires of a few big credit card portfolios on the block, the issuers’ private-label card operations for the first time in years could be an advantage, instead of a drag, thanks to changes in the economy and in industry regulations, observers say.

Who can blame consumers for not equating "mobile payments" with "security?"

A flatter yield curve during the period likely added to pressure on bank net interest margins, which have been drifting down since a recent high early last year.

In the first three months of the year, more consumers had trouble paying down their credit cards and other debts, largely because of higher food and gas prices, according to an industry report released Thursday.