Consumer lending

Borrowing on plastic climbed by $52 billion in the fourth quarter, the New York Fed found, as consumers splurged on holiday shopping and inflation drove up the cost of goods and services. It's the biggest jump in the 22 years the data has been tracked.

On Sep. 30, 2021. Dollars in thousands.

On Sep. 30, 2021. Dollars in thousands.

Fifteen consumer groups said the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. appears to have “done nothing to curtail the predatory lending that has exploded on its watch.” They urged the agency’s Democratic board members to take action as Chair Jelena McWilliams, a Republican appointee, prepared to step down.

Eight out of 10 community bankers said in a new survey that the installment loan product appeals to them far less than it does to many fintechs and larger banks.

Rohit Chopra, the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has cautioned banks, credit unions and fintechs about fair-lending violations that may stem from reliance on artificial intelligence. His comments threaten to discourage financial firms from using the technology to crunch nontraditional data about borrowers, experts say.

Loans to car sellers plummeted earlier in the pandemic due to chip shortages that hampered vehicle production. But supply improvements since last fall have fueled the start of a rebound.

The merger of FVCBankcorp and Blue Ridge Bankshares, which has faced criticism from student borrower advocates, would have created a $5 billion-asset bank. The deal was delayed last year after the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency raised concerns.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has opened an inquiry into whether the largest issuers are engaging in unfair or anti-competitive practices. JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and the rest of the top eight control 70% of the $1 trillion credit card market.

The deal is the latest example of a mainstream bank buying a point-of-sale lender focused on financing home improvement projects.