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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For the third time in five years, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued an enforcement action against the beleaguered bank. It bars USAA from adding new products or loosening its membership criteria without evaluating the risks of getting bigger.
By Polo RochaDecember 18 -
As the Biden administration comes to a close, the agency called out "bait-and-switch tactics" by card issuers. It also announced a new tool allowing consumers to comparison shop for credit cards.
By Polo RochaDecember 18 -
The post-pandemic increase in consumers falling behind on their credit card bills seems to be tapering off. "For 2025, we're seeing a lot of stability in delinquencies," an industry researcher said.
By Polo RochaDecember 13 -
The top executives at some of the nation's largest banks spoke Tuesday about their expectations for the second Trump administration. Deregulation, capital rules, tariffs and inflation were all prominent topics.
By Polo RochaDecember 10 -
The merger pairs the fintech's consumer lending platform with Gen Digital's identity-protection services, such as Norton, LifeLock and ReputationDefender.
By Polo RochaDecember 10 -
The industry hopes that the bigger hurdles to bank mergers under President Biden will fade in the new administration. But populist opposition to consolidation in the tech sector could spill over into banking.
By Polo RochaDecember 9 -
Primis Financial had to delay several reports to the SEC due to an accounting misclassification error, which raised the possibility that the bank's stock would no longer trade on Nasdaq. Executives say they're "optimistic about putting this behind us."
By Polo RochaDecember 3 -
The company's stock price has jumped 23% since the election, as investors bet that federal student loans will get curtailed, providing more opportunity for the private sector.
By Polo RochaNovember 27 -
Amid steady customer growth, USAA's banking arm failed to make the investments necessary to satisfy either its regulators or some decades-long customers. Changes in the executive suite haven't fixed the problems.
By Polo RochaNovember 21 -
The companies held out hope that they'd get skeptical regulators to sign off on their $286 million deal before determining that canceling it was in their best interests.
By Polo RochaNovember 19 -
The reduced pace of consumers moving into delinquency adds evidence to the thesis that households are facing lower financial stress.
By Polo RochaNovember 13 -
The added capital will help the New Jersey-based regional bank reduce its commercial real estate footprint faster and give it wiggle room to grow elsewhere, analysts said.
By Polo RochaNovember 8 -
During Donald Trump's last presidency, the massive merger that created Truist shook up the industry. What's coming this time around?
November 8 -
An index of bank stocks rose 8.5% early Wednesday after Donald Trump won his bid to return to the White House.
By Polo RochaNovember 6 -
Investors brushed off a potentially prolonged week of U.S. election results and instead focused on fresh economic data.
By Polo RochaNovember 5 -
The Detroit company's charge-offs on consumer auto loans rose sharply last quarter. Its CEO said he's confident losses will decline, but the next few quarters "will be choppy."
By Polo RochaOctober 18 -
The Cleveland-based bank took a hit from a large bond sale, leading to a quarterly loss. But net interest income rose, and the company expects that metric to hit a key milestone in the fourth quarter.
By Polo RochaOctober 17 -
Purchases on the company's credit cards fell 4% as some customers traded down to cheaper goods or skipped discretionary spending. But CEO Brian Doubles said consumers remain in "pretty good shape" as they manage their budgets.
By Polo RochaOctober 16 -
Caution among business owners has held down loans at the megabank and many of its smaller competitors. But third-quarter earnings suggest activity is rebounding.
By Polo RochaOctober 15 -
The megabank's scale hasn't made it immune from the deposit wars that have crimped bank profits. But the "stabilization" that Wells Fargo flagged is a positive sign as other banks start reporting earnings.
By Polo RochaOctober 11




















