Auto lending

The Detroit automaker says it will stick to car loans and steer clear of mortgage lending if regulators approve its application to establish an industrial bank.

The Pittsburgh company also sold a portfolio of indirect auto loans and repaid a large amount of Federal Home Loan Bank borrowings.

The automaker is reportedly planning to apply for a bank charter so it could collect deposits and grow its own auto-finance business. That could create more competition for Ally, which was spun off from GM in 2006 but remains a key lending partner.

The median credit score for new mortgages and refinancings climbed to 786 during the third quarter, its highest level in more than two decades, according to a report from the New York Fed.

Payment rates for auto lenders and credit card issuers have remained strong despite a spike in unemployment. Whether these trends continue into 2021 will depend largely on the actions of Congress and the pace of medical advances.

The subprime lender cited low odds that Washington will deliver further economic relief, and the fact that $1.5 billion of loans whose deferral period expired are now more than 30 days behind.

The auto lender says consumers’ skittishness about flying and using public transit during the pandemic has fueled a surge in demand for new and used cars. But executives remain wary of high unemployment and the potential for a rise in loan defaults.

Credit union groups continue to make ad buys for industry-supported candidates in advance of Nov. 3, but recent positive economic news could be short-lived.

Kathy Kraninger’s job status would be in question if Joe Biden wins the White House. If the president is reelected, she may continue balancing a deregulatory agenda with her unexpectedly tough stance on enforcement.

Originations in the third quarter are on pace to double what the Detroit lender reported a quarter earlier, adding more high-yielding loans to the balance sheet.