Interest rates

House Republicans are ramping up their criticism of the Fed for making interest payments to member banks on excess reserves, and may have identified a way to counter claims that the payments are critical to monetary policy.

Net interest margins are on the rise and banks have the green light to return more capital to shareholders, but commercial lending and consumer credit quality remain trouble spots.

The expansion of the Federal Reserve’s portfolio of Treasury debt and mortgage-backed securities has a bigger impact on the credit markets than paying banks interest on excess reserves.

Contrary to others’ opinion, interest on excess reserves is part of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy that serves to reduce volatility and encourage growth.

The German bank posted two consecutive years of losses partly because of misconduct fines tied to the Libor and other scandals.

The Federal Reserve’s next policy actions will have profound impact on whether the U.S. income and wealth gap grows even wider.

Loan demand disappointed as optimism for economic growth under President Trump gave way to uncertainty over the prospects for regulatory relief and tax reform. Credit quality held up, but the retail and health care sectors have become potential trouble spots. Here’s a recap drawn from banks’ quarterly earnings calls.

Readers weigh in on Wells Fargo investors reelecting state regulators suing the OCC, Wells Fargo's annual meeting, ultralow interest rates and more.

After such a period of collective euphoria following the November election, how does the manager of a large institution explain a declining stock price to investors?

The Westbury, N.Y., company is angling for an acquisition as it approaches the $50 billion-asset mark.

Monetary policy was intended to act as an accelerant for an economy in recession, and did in fact accomplish that goal early on; however, its benefits have waned, if not reversed, over time.

Wintrust’s mortgage revenues fell in the first quarter, but net interest income picked up the slack.

Negative interest rate policies have not been shown to speed up spending or borrowing. In some cases, countries with such policies have seen their savings rates continuing to climb.

Amid a rising rate environment, political uncertainty and rising delinquency, credit unions can still take steps to protect their bottom lines.

Banks eagerly raised their prime rates after the Federal Reserve’s latest rate hike, but the debate about how they should react on the deposit side is robust, and conversations are beginning on how to respond on the investment portion of the balance sheet. Here is a sample of the lively discussion that is emerging.

It is easy for banks to get caught up in what appears innovative but ends up being for show.

Lower tax rates won’t be unqualified good news for banks, as a lower rate would reduce the savings that they get from making tax-exempt loans to cities, counties and other governmental agencies.

Simultaneous spikes in home prices and mortgage rates have put an unusual squeeze on borrowers' purchasing power and require lenders to be proactive about protecting their loan pipelines.

At its February meeting, the NCUA Board approved a routine measure to reauthorize an 18% interest rate cap on loans, but suggested that it’s time for Congress to make some changes.

Banks are helping customers build healthy financial habits through their apps. The tools could also strengthen customer retention when rates go up.