Retail & Commercial

The U.S. Supreme Court expanded a planned showdown over President Biden's student-loan relief plan, saying it will hear arguments from two borrowers who contend they are being unfairly excluded from the full scope of the program.

The agency is needlessly raising banks' costs at a time of severe economic uncertainty.

Kearny Financial is partially restructuring its balance sheet in response to a problem that many banks are facing. The bank's actions should result in a sizeable income boost once they're fully phased in, an analyst said.

Benefits under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act were applied to fewer than 10% of auto loans for active-duty reserve members, the agency found. It urged financial institutions to ease the process for accessing the law's interest rate protections.

While Silvergate said this month it has "a resilient balance sheet and ample liquidity," and analysts call its financials sound, the bank is today contending with a question as difficult as the one that led it to crypto in the first place: whether the experiment was worth it.

Citing a congressional report, SBA says it will investigate PPP operations at several fintechs, community banks and other participants. The review raises questions about plans to open up the agency's flagship loan-guarantee program to more nonbanks.

New York and California are among the states that have laws requiring lenders to make certain disclosures to small-business borrowers. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has reached a preliminary determination that a federal statute does not preempt those state laws.

The acting comptroller of the currency said new CECL standards will help banks weather current economic uncertainty. He also touted the benefits of diversity in risk management.

In a tight job market, banks are exploring new ways to find the employees they need.

William Demchak, the Pittsburgh bank's CEO, is leery of acquiring banks amid elevated regulatory scrutiny. KeyCorp Chief Executive Chris Gorman has similar concerns, citing economic uncertainty in addition to the long waits for approval.