The San Antonio-based lender is introducing new products targeted at borrowers who make less than 80% of their county's median income. The loans, which will qualify for Community Reinvestment Act credit, could help expand access to the state's increasingly expensive housing market.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Justice Department warned banks and other lenders that credit applicants cannot be rejected due to their immigration status.

The credit bureau is embedding its Experian Boost feature in the new account, which aims to help people strengthen their credit profiles through on-time bill payments.

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.

The company now has 35 million users worldwide and launched new features this summer that include automated investing and expanded account access for non-citizens living in the U.S. But the features come amid controversies at the fintech.

Central Valley Community Bancorp's agreement to buy Community West Bancshares, slated to close in the second quarter, would create a $3.6 billion-asset bank in the Greater Sacramento region.

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.

Blue Ridge Bank in Virginia changed course after its rapid growth in the fintech partnership business landed it in hot water. But the path back to a traditional community banking model is also proving to be bumpy.

Other banks likely will follow the lead of the Richmond, Virginia, company and tap the equity in their branch networks as alternative sources of capital grow more costly, experts say.

Lenders at an American Bankers Association conference this week railed against proposed regulatory requirements they argue could drive up costs, curb credit availability and ultimately hurt borrowers in already fragile economic times.