Mortgages

Strong mortgage and capital markets activity helped offset credit costs and one-time items in the third quarter at Citizens Financial Group. In a period of low rates, CEO Bruce Van Saun says he’d like to buy more fee-generating businesses.

The Buffalo, N.Y., bank will pay a $546,000 penalty, which will be passed on to the National Flood Insurance Program to help offset costs.

One could change how commercial property is taxed, the other could change rent control policies. Both might affect financing.

Spending is up and deferrals are down sharply, signaling that the economy has turned a corner, CEO Brian Moynihan said. The outlook stood in stark contrast to JPMorgan Chase, which set aside more funds to address potential exposure in consumer banking.

Executives are urging Congress and the White House to prioritize another round of help for businesses amid concerns that the continuing restrictions on reopening could lead to more loan defaults.

The San Francisco bank reported record loan originations thanks to explosive growth in single-family home loans, and profits beat analysts' expectations.

The agency had raised concerns in the Obama administration about kickbacks in the marketing pacts between mortgage lenders and other providers, but the agency's recent guidance says the deals are legally viable.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's overhaul of its Qualified Mortgage standard is alarming free-market advocates who say it will precipitate a return to easy credit and higher defaults and could disproportionately harm minorities.

The company says it plans to originate 40,000 mortgages for Black and Hispanic households and finance 100,000 affordable rental units over five years.

The company, which recently completed an audit, set aside funds to cover issues tied with a lending program it discontinued last year. The move cleared the way for Sterling to file an overdue annual report with the Securities and Exchange Commission.