Consumer lending

The total balance of write-offs year-to-date through March for first mortgages, home equity lines of credit and home equity loans is $9.5 billion, a nine-year low for Q1 and a year-over-year decrease of 22.7%, according to Equifax's National Consumer Credit Trends Report.

RealtyTrac's latest U.S. Residential Property Loan Origination Report shows 1.4 million loans were originated on U.S. residential properties in the first quarter, the lowest level since the first quarter of 2014.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has charged a Mississippi company with refusing to disclose check-cashing fees to consumers, deceptively pressuring borrowers into taking out multiple payday loans and keeping overpayments.

The CFPB filed a lawsuit Wednesday charging a check casher and payday lending company of tricking and trapping customers at its 43 stores in Mississippi and at locations in Louisiana and Alabama.

Payday lenders on Wednesday pushed back against Google's plan to ban payday loan advertisements, arguing it was discriminatory and "a form of censorship."

Debt-buying giant Encore Capital Group Inc. reported first quarter earnings of $25.7 million.

Navient has been recognized as a 2020 Women on Boards Winning "W" Company for the second consecutive year. The national award is presented to companies with at least 20% women on their board of directors.

Google said Wednesday it will ban ads for payday loans to protect its customers from what it considers deceptive and harmful financial products. The ban goes into effect on July 13.

Defunct online lender Integrity Advance has filed a lawsuit accusing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau of launching an enforcement action against the company without the legal authority to do so.

If alternative small-business lenders don't get engaged in the regulatory dialogue, they risk letting a few bad apples determine their fate.

The steady stream of bad news continues for online marketplace lenders.

U.S. consumers who lost money to a Canada-based debt and mortgage relief scam will receive nearly $1.87 million.

A debt collection agency will pay civil penalties and be required to adopt new procedures to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it violated the requirements of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

At least three U.S. banks are preparing to go to market with new small-dollar installment loan products in a move that could potentially disrupt the payday lending industry.

The FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Friday concerning the use of modern dialing technologies when contacting consumers on cell phones about student loan debts, mortgages, taxes and other debts owed to or guaranteed by the government.

U.S. consumers sharply increased their use of credit cards in March, pushing up total borrowing at the fastest pace in 15 years.

At least three large U.S. banks are preparing to go to market with new small-dollar installment loan products in a move that could potentially disrupt the payday lending industry.

The finance industry pushed back against a proposal by the CFPB that would ban arbitration clauses in consumer contracts, saying it will pave the way for a flurry of class action lawsuits and result in higher prices for products and services.

A debt-buying giant has been recognized by Forbes as one of America's Best Midsize Employers.

A federal judge in Pennsylvania has ruled that a recovery agency facing alleged Fair Debt Collection Practices Act violations will see that case go forward.