Credit

Ant Financial, the internet finance behemoth controlled by billionaire Alibaba founder Jack Ma, has apologized for roping unsuspecting users into its fledgling but fast-growing credit-score system.

Billionaire’s bid to buy MoneyGram is his latest setback trying to crack the U.S. market; banks want to stick with FICO while nonbanks want to use VantageScore.

Changing political and economic forces are raising new questions about deployment of tax savings and the cost of deposits, while old concerns about cost-cutting, credit quality and risk-taking persist or return.

The digitally savvy lender MyBucks, which has lent money through a smartphone app and chatbots on WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, could be a good role model for U.S. banks thinking of using AI in credit decisions.

The credit bureau enraged many with its response to a massive data breach this fall, but closing the company down would ultimately harm consumers.

Readers sound off on Mick Mulvaney’s plan to hire political appointees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, question what’s behind the failure of Washington Federal Bank for Savings in Chicago, react to an argument that Equifax must endure, and more.

It was a bad year for the CEO of Equifax, the founder of a high-flying fintech and the regulatory agency bankers love to hate.

The two government-sponsored enterprises have relied on the “classic” FICO credit scoring model for the past 12 years. But the Federal Housing Finance Agency is weighing whether the GSEs should upgrade to more recent scoring alternatives.

The credit bureau enraged many with its response to a massive data breach this fall, but closing the company down would ultimately harm consumers.

The company will set aside more than $10 million, with most of the provision addressing an issue with a commercial loan.