Banking

The $22 billion-dollar earned wage access industry is vigorously opposing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's plan to classify paycheck advances as consumer loans requiring disclosures of fees and costs, and says it will fight the rule in court.

The Dallas-based company, whose earnings per share fell short of consensus by 6 cents, lowered its revenue forecast and raised its expense outlook. Its stock price fell more than 8% on Thursday.

The credit card company sold its student loan business, which long drew the ire of regulators. It also set aside substantial funds to cover looming regulatory penalties.

The Georgia-based bank recorded a $257 million hit after unloading a bundle of securities that it expects to redeploy into higher-yielding assets. It also forecast a resumption of loan growth in the second half of the year.

Financial services supervisors should revisit the concept of regulatory sandboxes. Doing so would allow fintechs to gain needed experience in the world of banking, while fostering innovation.

The Cleveland-based regional bank continues to benefit from strength in investment banking, though concerns about stalled loan growth emerged as CEO Chris Gorman described demand as tepid.

Payroll advances would be considered consumer loans under an interpretive rule by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that would require disclosures of annual percentage rates and fees under the Truth in Lending Act.

See which bank topped American Banker's annual ranking of the best-performing midsize institutions.

The top-performing banks with between $10 billion and $50 billion of assets boasted relatively strong loan portfolios and expense control.

For at least the fifth consecutive quarter, the Providence, Rhode Island, company increased its allowance for credit losses on general office loans, which continue to be a problem area for banks.

The Detroit-based auto lender has been dealing with an imbalance in deposit costs and loan yield since rates rapidly rose. Now, the bank's fixed-rate loans from before are maturing.

The credit card company is seeing fewer customers fall behind on their payments. But with lower-income consumers still being pinched by inflation, Synchrony isn't loosening its lending standards.

The credit card giant says its proposed acquisition of Discover would facilitate a bevy of community development activity and philanthropy. But some public advocacy groups are skeptical.

Congress needs to take immediate action to reform policies that foster this trend and ultimately subsidize banking consolidation on Main Street, writes Rebeca Romero Rainey, president and CEO of the Independent Community Bankers of America.

The Minneapolis-based company reported an 18% increase in quarterly net income thanks largely to slimmed-down operating expenses. It also notched modest increases in loans and deposits, while asset quality issues remained manageable.

The tech giant is enabling users to pay by holding smartphones together, potentially cutting into the market for Zelle, PayPal and Venmo.

Bankers and financial services professionals should be monitoring the rollout of the EU Digital Identity Wallet initiative, as it signals changes likely to arrive in the U.S.

The core services provider partnered with Lendio to devise a cloud-native tool that will automate small business loan decisioning and onboarding for banks.

The Wall Street investment bank saw its profits rebound in the second quarter as last year's decline in mergers continued to thaw. "The game will have to go on because there's just been so much activity that has been suppressed," said CEO Ted Pick.

The Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank saw profits and net interest income dip in the second quarter, but made up lost revenue through investment banking fees.