Consumer lending

Digital-first collection agencies such as TrueAccord, January and InDebted are analyzing consumer engagement signals and more to determine the most effective way for its clients to collect on debt.

Analyzed from a property rights perspective, the dividends paid by the Federal Home Loan banks to their members are surprisingly stingy, and vary wildly between the different banks.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a new interpretive rule designating buy now/pay later lenders as credit card providers, subjecting those services to consumer protections like the right to dispute charges and receive refunds.

Investors are facing recent pressure after Republic First's collapse, allegations of criminal activity by an executive at Old National and a pending CFPB rule affecting credit card fees.

Gaps in traditional means of assessing creditworthiness are being filled by new kinds of information, such as cash flow data. The result will be good for both banks and borrowers.

The payday loan industry is looking to extend its years-long legal fight with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. It's planning to ask a federal appeals court to revisit a ruling that upheld a proposed limit on how often payday lenders can try to pull money from their customers' accounts.

The number of borrowers who are at their credit limits is approaching its pre-pandemic level, and the percentage of balances that are sliding into delinquency has hit its highest rate in more than a decade, according to new research. Still, card companies are generally expressing optimism about their credit outlooks.

Executives also say funding pressures have begun to ease, though high interest rates and deposit costs remain a leading worry, according to new surveys.

What lies ahead for the banking industry this year? Here's what analysts and investors are tracking after the latest bank earnings reports.

Thousands of consumers had to wait more than 90 days for funds after their accounts were suddenly closed, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.