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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Late-payment rates are rising at nonbanks that lend to people with lower credit scores. "We're probably entering a stretch where you're going to see a separation between those that are relatively good underwriters and those that are not," one analyst said.
By Polo RochaAugust 7 -
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is investigating some of the bank's credit card practices, including refunds, billing errors and credit bureau reporting, according to a securities filing Thursday.
By Polo RochaAugust 4 -
The San Francisco fintech collected $1.6 billion in deposits during the second quarter after buying a small bank earlier this year. Though SoFi pays relatively high rates to its depositors, CEO Anthony Noto said the company's funding costs are far lower than they were before the bank acquisition.
By Polo RochaAugust 3 -
Even though delinquency rates were previously at extremely low levels, the recent uptick among poorer consumers is worth monitoring, New York Fed researchers said.
By Polo RochaAugust 2 -
The San Francisco megabank plans to reinstate guidance that drew scrutiny following revelations that women and nonwhite candidates were interviewed for jobs that had been reserved for someone else.
By Polo RochaAugust 1 -
The San Francisco company is relying more on banks and credit unions, and its own acquisition of a bank last year, to fund its consumer lending business. The flexibility has proved helpful as demand from other loan buyers wanes.
By Polo RochaJuly 28 -
The Federal Reserve’s aggressive tightening is putting some pricing pressure on digital banks that rely on high-yield savings accounts. But the increases are not keeping pace with the central bank’s rate hikes, and the caution may continue in the face of economic uncertainty.
By Polo RochaJuly 27 -
The McLean, Virginia, company is starting to “trim around the edges” of its auto portfolio, CEO Richard Fairbank said. That move stands in contrast with Capital One's leaning into its credit card business, which helped push marketing spending above $1 billion.
By Polo RochaJuly 22 -
The Detroit-based lender has been a major beneficiary of the auto market’s growth during the pandemic. Looking ahead, company executives expect demand to be particularly strong among higher-income customers who have little sensitivity to higher car prices and rising interest rates.
By Polo RochaJuly 19 -
Investors have grown concerned that 40-year highs in inflation may take a bite out of consumers and lead to credit troubles, but Synchrony executives say consumers are continuing to manage “incredibly well.”
By Polo RochaJuly 18 -
Like other mortgage lenders, the San Francisco megabank has been cutting staff since refinancing volumes started to fall. Additional layoffs are expected over the next couple of quarters, according to the bank’s chief financial officer.
By Polo RochaJuly 15 -
Several groups raised concerns at a public hearing about the Canadian bank’s proposed acquisition of Bank of the West. They accused BMO of shortcomings in its mortgage lending to Black and Latino borrowers and said they won’t support the deal without the bank's firm commitment to help underserved communities.
By Polo RochaJuly 14 -
Consumers are feeling less confident about their economic prospects, and investors worry their loan repayments will slow. Those fears have led to large drops in stock prices for consumer finance companies, particularly for those who lend to borrowers with lower credit scores.
By Polo RochaJuly 13 -
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 -
Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf hired Mike Weinbach in 2020 as part of a broader organizational shake-up. The former JPMorgan Chase executive is leaving in mid-September as the consumer lending group transitions to a new leader.
By Polo RochaJuly 11 -
The online consumer lender touts its AI-based underwriting models as a key strength, but analysts say larger-than-expected losses on some of its loans are contributing to funding pressures.
By Polo RochaJuly 8 -
Truist Financial is raising the low end of its pay scale to $22 an hour, while JPMorgan Chase is implementing a floor of between $20 and $25. The wage hikes will likely put pressure on smaller banks to take similar steps to stay competitive.
July 6 -
Dermot McDonogh will be the custody bank's chief financial officer, as incoming CEO Robin Vince starts making his mark. The two each spent more than two decades at Goldman Sachs.
By Polo RochaJuly 6 -
The Federal Reserve’s aggressive rate hikes are leading corporate clients to demand higher deposit rates, according to industry consultants. Some banks are better positioned than others to weather the changing landscape.
By Polo RochaJuly 4 -
The retail giant ignored fraudsters’ use of its money transfers in consumer scams that cost victims hundreds of millions of dollars, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Walmart called the agency’s lawsuit “factually flawed and legally baseless.”
By Polo RochaJune 29




















