Polo Rocha is a Washington D.C.-based reporter who covers 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.
-
Charge-offs at the Detroit-based lender rose last quarter, as borrowers had a tougher time keeping up with their car payments. But so far, credit quality is staying within expectations, and company executives don't anticipate that the rest of the year will be much worse.
By Polo RochaOctober 18 -
Goldman Sachs said that its partnerships with Apple and General Motors are hard to exit in the short term. So the investment banking giant is concentrating on making the deals profitable, even as it acknowledges that they may not be a long-term fit.
By Polo RochaOctober 17 -
It's been a rocky few years for senior housing as the sector recovers from its COVID occupancy drop and its profitability takes a hit. But bankers see long-term opportunities amid an aging U.S. population and say their portfolios are healthy.
By Polo RochaOctober 16 -
Net interest income rose sharply at Wells Fargo and especially JPMorgan Chase last quarter, thanks to lighter-than-expected deposit costs. But questions linger about how long both companies can keep a lid on those expenses and whether smaller competitors can do the same.
October 13 -
Jeffrey Brown, who's been Ally Financial's top executive for nearly nine years, plans to leave the company by early next year. His exit comes as deteriorating credit quality and rising interest rates are biting into Ally's profits.
By Polo RochaOctober 11 -
Brown, who's been Ally Financial's top executive for nearly nine years, joined the company 14 years ago and played a key role in reshaping it after the financial crisis. He will become the president of a large auto dealer group.
By Polo RochaOctober 11 -
Camino Financial and Fundation, which are combining, serve distinct slices of the small business market. The deal's architects say it will enable the combined firm to provide more financing options to entrepreneurs, and they argue that now is a good time to lean into small business lending.
By Polo RochaSeptember 28 -
Novosel, who leads PNC Financial Services's commercial bank, spent a lot more time talking to clients about PNC's financial footing when the banking crisis hit this spring.
By Polo RochaSeptember 27 -
Before being tapped as the head of Wells Fargo's auto division, Sanders was head of its auto transformation team.
By Polo RochaSeptember 27 -
Bankers often use return on equity to measure their success, but the banks whose stock prices have suffered most during past crises are the ones with high ROEs, according to new research. The findings add to academic skepticism about high-profit banks.
By Polo RochaSeptember 26