Kevin Wack is American Banker's national editor, and is based in southern California. He was formerly the publication's consumer finance reporter and its Capitol Hill correspondent. Earlier, he worked on financial policy in Washington. He has also reported for the Associated Press and worked as the investigative reporter for the Portland Press Herald in Maine.
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Since last year, banks have sharply reduced what they charge when consumers spend more money than they have, according to new research. Monthly maintenance charges and fees for using out-of-network ATMs have remained much more stable.
August 31 -
A decade ago, Think Finance partnered with Native American tribes in an effort to avoid state interest-rate caps on consumer loans. After the company's legal woes finally ended this month, court documents shed light on its rapid rise and steep fall.
August 28 -
The Canadian banking giant reported a 22% increase in loan balances, with the largest contribution coming from the United States. The surge in lending helped to compensate for weakness in debt and equity issuances.
August 23 -
The agency acknowledged that loan performance in the sector has been strong, but cited several reasons to think that might change, including rising interest rates, the effects of inflation and uncertainty about the future of work and commerce.
August 4 -
The jury at an upcoming trial can draw an adverse inference about evidence destruction by the Chicago-based bank, a federal judge ruled. The plaintiff is seeking $1.9 billion from the bank, in addition to punitive damages and other funds in a bankruptcy-related case stemming from a Ponzi scheme.
July 25 -
Analysts are not yet sounding the recession alarm, but investors and others will comb banks’ quarterly results for signs of stress in these particular areas that could translate into full-blown problems in the second half.
July 11 -
The retail industry, which wants the Federal Reserve to lower a decade-old price cap, has been complaining that higher prices for consumers mean heftier interchange fees. But banks are pointing out that the $10 billion-asset threshold below which financial institutions are exempt from the cap hasn’t been adjusted for inflation.
June 30 -
Wells Fargo, U.S. Bancorp, Truist Financial and PNC Financial were among the banks that said they are raising their prime lending rates from 4.0% to 4.75%.
June 15 -
The two regional banks announced plans to abandon nonsufficient fund fees and make other moves that will reduce the revenue they collect from cash-strapped consumers.
June 13 -
Despite high inflation and a tight labor market, median compensation at certain banks hasn’t budged much, according to a new report from a left-leaning group. “We can give people a more fair reward for their labor,” one of the co-authors said.
June 9
