Polo Rocha is a Mexico-based freelance reporter who worked at American Banker from 2021 to early 2025, covering consumer finance and national banking trends. He previously covered the Federal Reserve at S&P Global Market Intelligence and state politics at WisPolitics.com. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has a master's in finance degree from Johns Hopkins University.
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Remote work trends and high interest rates have substantially reduced the values of U.S. office buildings. A new academic paper estimates the extent of the deterioration, suggesting that there is perhaps more stress ahead for banks than is widely anticipated.
December 18 -
Retail customers at large banks were a bit more satisfied this year than in 2022, a new J.D. Power study finds. However, more of those same customers are moving cash to — and seeking advice from — wealth management firms and online banks.
December 14 -
Bank CEOs are eyeing a near-term peak in deposit costs as the Fed perhaps moves closer to cutting interest rates. But the pressures they've faced this year as depositors ask for more compensation may not die down right away.
December 11 -
Top industry executives said this week that price increases are abating, even if they haven't yet fully abated. Their remarks reflect increased confidence that the Federal Reserve will hold interest rates steady — or perhaps even cut them — in the first half of 2024.
December 7 -
The Georgia-based bank says it's expanding its relationship with GreenSky, a home improvement lender that Goldman Sachs bought in 2022 but put up for sale a year later. The deal will bring a one-time revenue boost and a recurring fee income stream.
December 7 -
After nearly a decade of regulatory headaches, Discover Financial Services is looking to sell its private student loan business. Its stock jumped 4% after the news.
November 30 -
Morais, who leads the auto lender's consumer and commercial banking divisions, is preparing to leave as Ally Financial conducts a search for its next chief executive officer. She had been seen as a potential candidate to replace outgoing CEO Jeffrey Brown.
November 29 -
Synchrony Financial bought Pets Best ahead of a pandemic-driven surge in the pet insurance business. Now it's selling the subsidiary for a $750 million after-tax gain.
November 28 -
The BSBY interest rate benchmark was originally envisioned as a successor to the once-ubiquitous Libor rate. But it failed to gain much traction, and Bloomberg now plans to shut it down next year.
November 27 -
OneMain Financial, which mainly offers consumer installment loans, is paying $115 million to buy a small subprime auto lender from the investment bank Jefferies.
November 21
