Consumer lending

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says the proposal would increase access to credit, but consumer groups argue that it will encourage lenders to make high-cost loans while protecting them from legal liability.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says the proposal would increase access to credit, but consumer groups argue that it will encourage lenders to make high-cost loans while protecting them from legal liability.

Under the agreement, fintechs and their bank partners will have a safe legal harbor to offer loans, as long as their interest rates do not exceed 36% and they meet various other standards.

This isn’t the first time the industry has faced an influx of funds amid a slowdown in lending, but this instance could prove harder to manage than in the past.

Covered Care is promising to offer affordable loans to borrowers with credit scores below 700.

Criticized assets are on the rise, especially in commercial portfolios, and may be the forerunner of a wave of loan losses later this year or next year unless economic conditions strengthen.

More than a third fear the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic could drag into 2022 or later, and they are most worried about commercial real estate loans, according to a Promontory Interfinancial Network survey.

Why banks want in on Google checking accounts; readying new tech tools to tackle anticipated rise in delinquencies; more institutions opt to sell PPP loans as heavy lifting nears; and more from this week’s most-read stories.

Credit card balances declined most sharply as consumers cut back their spending due to the coronavirus pandemic and associated shutdown orders, the New York Fed said Thursday. But delinquencies also fell across all debt categories, thanks to government and lender relief efforts.

Credit card debt has actually gone down since the pandemic struck, with many consumers spending less while using bailout money to chip away at balances. But that may not last.