Consumer lending

The San Carlos, California, consumer lender said it's "exploring strategic options" for its credit card portfolio, discontinuing its investment and retirement products and sunsetting a partnership with Sezzle in addition to embarking on a new round of job cuts.

As U.S. credit card balances continue to march above $1 trillion, the number of newly delinquent credit card users now exceeds the pre-pandemic average and millennials and those with student or auto loans are driving the increase in past-due payments, the New York Fed said.

The lawsuit by state Attorney General Keith Ellison is the latest challenge to high-cost loans by tribal lenders. The lenders argue that tribal sovereignty gives them immunity from such lawsuits.

As the holiday shopping season approaches, late payments on credit cards have surpassed their pre-pandemic levels, according to a new VantageScore report. The consumers showing signs of deterioration include not only subprime borrowers, but also those with prime credit scores.

In a pilot it rolled out this year, Nashville-based Vanderbilt Credit Union will lend graduates up to $160,000 if they have a job offer sheet in hand.

The student loan servicer said that it's open to settling a high-stakes lawsuit filed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau during the Obama administration. It recorded a $45 million charge and said that the range of reasonably possible losses is between $0 and $250 million.

The credit-card issuer is tightening its lending standards and bracing for the potential effects of a cap on card late fees. Charge-offs are rising, but company executives say that customers are showing surprising strength.

Executives say the $213 billion-asset company's strong credit performance in the third quarter positions it to pursue loan growth next year.

The "Get My Rate" tool, launched on Sept. 4 in collaboration with SavvyMoney, tells current and prospective members what loan rates they qualify for without adversely affecting their credit scores.

Charge-offs at the Detroit-based lender rose last quarter, as borrowers had a tougher time keeping up with their car payments. But so far, credit quality is staying within expectations, and company executives don't anticipate that the rest of the year will be much worse.