Banking

New York Fed data shows a record $211 billion in car-loan originations during the second quarter. But median credit scores are falling, and delinquencies are rising, as lower-income consumers struggle to meet their obligations.

Kate Danella, head of consumer banking since 2022, will become Region Financial's chief administrative officer, as David Keenan plans to retire. John Jordan will take over leadership of consumer banking.

Companies need to find new ways of combining apprenticeships with AI model interactions for their newest employees, according to Carissa Robb, consultant and former TD Bank executive.

The joint American Banker-Capital Performance Group study of 2025's top-performing banks reveals that for institutions under $2 billion of assets, success comes from a fee-income engine, a defensible lending niche and radical cost discipline.

For the past three quarters, more bank branches have opened than closed. It's a trend, though a slight one.

For the first time in 17 years, the number of U.S. bank branches is on a sustained rise.

First Guaranty in Hammond Louisiana agreed to a consent order with federal and state regulators that's aimed at improving its credit quality.

As more traditional financial institutions turn to short-term liquidity offerings to meet growing consumer demand, legacy earned wage access providers are hoping to get their products in front of more employers – and their employees.

HBT Financial in Bloomington, Illinois, has agreed to acquire Tri-County Financial Group in a deal valued $204.6 million.

USAA sued Fifth Third last month over four patents. The bank had already asked the patent office to cancel two of them.

The July jobs report was bad, but the context is worse: people leaving the labor force, stubborn inflation and rising bond yields.

In American Banker's ranking of banks with the strongest metrics, here is this year's list in the $10-$50 billion range, based on data from Capital Performance Group.

The federal agency has denied the Dutch neobank's de novo bank charter application, citing "significant supervisory and compliance concerns."

Gateway Bank, which has narrowed its losses under new CEO Mukhtar Ali, hired a team of residential-construction lenders to speed its return to profitability.

The core provider is conducting a review of its offerings after a 21% decrease in earnings per share and a drop in revenue from its core banking sector.

The CFPB is still without a permanent director, KeyBank has completed its acquisition of Clearwater UK, Flagstar's private bank has launched an insurance agency and a suite of discretionary managed investment portfolios, and more in this week's banking news roundup.

Return-to-office mandates in the financial services world are based more on senior executives' "gut" feelings than on real data. In many cases their main effect is to add stress to the lives of front-line employees.

Augustus National Bank, which is working to fulfill the conditions for its de novo OCC charter, was approved for federal deposit insurance by the FDIC.

A report released this week by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., shines a light on what is required of banks when high-net-worth clients engage in suspicious activity.