Consumer lending

In implementing Section 1033, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is leaving out auto loans, one of the largest sources of consumer debt.

Auto-enrolling its membership for a credit-scoring tool offered by SavvyMoney helped Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union nearly double approvals across its credit card, personal and auto loan portfolios in early 2023.

The lending fintech is increasing its reliance on third-party funding arrangements as its revenue slides. Analysts are wondering how much risk is embedded in the deals.

Senior loan officers recently told the Federal Reserve that loan demand weakened and underwriting tightened last quarter, but both at a slower pace than three months earlier. They anticipate demand for credit will improve, especially in the back half of the year — provided rates begin to fall.

American Honda Finance Corp., the financing division of carmaker Honda, says that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sent it a "civil investigative demand" connected to the "furnishing of credit reporting information on consumer accounts."

The nation's largest credit union allegedly engaged in racial discrimination resulting in calls for further investigations and regulations. Had Navy Federal been subject to the Community Reinvestment Act it may have avoided this problem.

The consumer lender CURO Group says that its agreement with bondholders gives it a 30-day grace period, and that negotiations on a broader restructuring are continuing. The company has lost money in recent years as it shifts away from traditional payday lending to larger installment loans.

Car loan delinquencies are worsening across all age groups and income levels, as high interest rates and elevated car prices take a toll, according to the New York Fed. But executives at some large auto lenders remain relatively confident about their customers' ability to stay afloat.

Characterizing them as 'schemes' unfairly impugns a service that cash-strapped consumers value and have come to count on.

The Independent Community Bankers of America, American Bankers Association and other groups filed a lawsuit arguing that recent reforms to implementing regulations for the Community Reinvestment Act exceed statutory authority.

With tougher capital requirements looming, a number of regionals including U.S. Bancorp, Huntington and Santander are using these new instruments to share risk with nonbank investors and lighten their capital load. Experts point out the pros and cons.

People should have the option of having their rent and utilities payment history reported to credit bureaus in order to build up their credit history.

Banks need to reckon with the explosive rise of legal online wagering and the addicts left in its wake.

The private student loan market is in flux after one major lender, Discover Financial Services, said it's leaving the sector. Sallie Mae is gearing up to compete for that business, much as it did when Wells Fargo pulled up stakes in 2020.

The private equity firm Caryle is buying a $415 million student loan portfolio from Truist Financial. It's also investing in a nonbank student lender called Monogram that works with banks and credit unions.

The credit card issuer said it's "cautiously optimistic" about its borrowers' financial health, with charge-offs expected to rise not much further than pre-pandemic levels. The upbeat outlook contrasts with a key competitor's guidance of significantly higher losses.

The CFPB is well within its authority to make these changes, which will increase the availability of credit to many Americans.

Investors drove up the stock prices of both companies after Ally Financial said it's selling its point-of-sale lending business to Synchrony Financial. The deal is expected to help Ally focus on its bread-and-butter auto lending business, while also aiding Synchrony's efforts to gain market share.

As part of a settlement with the Justice Department, Patriot Bank must invest more than $1 million of the total in a loan subsidy fund for minority homeowners and take other corrective steps in its everyday business. The bank denied any wrongdoing.

Personal spending chugged along in the fourth quarter, thanks to the resilient job market. But loan charge-offs rose, and higher interest rates suppressed loan demand, executives say.