Credit

The credit card issuer, which recorded an 11% decline in net income last quarter, took one-time charges in connection with a U.K. sales scandal, the start of a new partnership with Walmart and a recent data breach.

Readers react to Regions Financial's plan to replace its core deposit system, a House bill meant to curb jobs moved overseas, a resurgence of consumer complaints against the credit bureaus and more.

The online lender posted a profit for the sixth consecutive quarter, as higher margins helped offset a decline in loan originations.

Executives say they are passing on more loans as bank and nonbank competitors cut rates and forgo traditional safeguards.

It has already been modifying more problem loans and investing in efforts to recover charged-off loans, and now the credit card lender is ready to tighten underwriting in case the economy weakens.

The company says the upgrade will support future digital investments. It also said Tuesday that third-quarter profits climbed 8% but reported a sharp increase in criticized business loans.

Regulators have long warned the credit bureaus about deceptive marketing that causes consumers to sign up unwittingly for paid monitoring services. But the practice has persisted, according to complaint data.

While demand is strong and loan performance generally remains solid, the prevalence of longer loan terms has sparked concern that losses will eventually spike.

Its quarterly results show lower rates and emerging credit risks can be overcome. Whether most banks have all the same levers to pull is another matter.

Slowdowns in new factory orders and production, largely tied to the trade war with China, could translate to more defaults among industrial clients.