Credit

Investors are flocking to point of sale credit firms, which have emerged as a popular option during a time of economic stress. And market dynamics suggest more upside even as traditional payment competitors enter the fray.

Hospitality sector credits are coming out of forbearance just as coronavirus cases surge. Restructurings and charge-offs could mount unless vaccine distribution happens quickly enough to jump-start travel by mid-2021.

Companies like Affirm and Klarna have been a beacon for investors, leading to at least one multibillion-dollar planned IPO in support of a point-of-purchase lending model that could set the stage for use cases well beyond credit.

The Ohio company will benefit after settling unpaid judgments tied to nonperforming loans at a bank it bought before the last financial crisis.

The Federal Housing Administration said in its annual actuarial report that the capital reserve ratio on its mutual mortgage insurance fund increased to 6.10% in fiscal year 2020, up from 4.84% a year earlier.

Lending opportunities have become scarce, especially with commercial borrowers, and banks are resisting the temptation to relax standards to boost volume.

The cross-border e-commerce market is set to pass the $1 trillion mark in 2020, providing a huge addressable market for Afterpay's buy now, pay later expansion.

In a bid to fuel online sales, Barclaycard is partnering with Amazon in Germany to offer installment lending to overcome the country’s low credit card ownership rates.

While national banks have remained strong during the pandemic, they are still navigating risks from a murky credit environment and other potential warnings signs, according to a report by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

The region now leads the nation in virus cases, and with winter lurking the fear is that the outbreak will only get worse.