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The Los Angeles bank, which disclosed the layoffs in a securities filing, is undergoing a broader restructuring under its new CEO. The bank expects $30 million to $40 million of savings per year from the job cuts.

Markets are beginning to price in a higher federal funds rate target as Federal Reserve officials hint at more restrictive policies to tamp down inflation.

Significantly fewer households expected to be in worse shape in the coming year than was the case last summer, according to a December survey. The results are a positive sign for banks at the start of earnings season.

Rohit Chopra, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, said the bank is "not making rapid progress" and hinted at the possibility of additional restrictions. But analysts saw positives for Wells in the $3.7 billion consent order.

In a sprawling consent order, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau order cited mismanagement that extended from auto loans to mortgages and deposit accounts. Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf called the agreement a critical milestone to "put these issues behind us."

In an appeals court filing, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wrote that a federal judge "ignored regulatory text, history and context" when she ruled against a PNC customer. The consumer argues that the bank shouldn't have pulled funds from his checking account after he was tardy in making payments on his home equity line of credit.

Kristy Fercho, who's run the bank's home lending division since August 2020, will report directly to CEO Charlie Scharf and sit on the operating committee. Last year, she became the first Black person to chair the Mortgage Bankers Association, and she took the top spot in American Banker's Most Powerful Women to Watch this year.

The San Francisco bank tallied $2.2 billion in net operating losses, higher than in any quarter since late 2017. The charges offset what otherwise would have been a strong third-quarter performance.

The settlement with an insurer over Countrywide's mortgage-backed securities closes another chapter on what quickly proved to be an ill-advised acquisition for Bank of America. A trial on the case had kicked off last month.

The online lender approved Black applicants at lower rates than non-Hispanic whites, according to a law firm that monitors its artificial intelligence models. Upstart said it's an industry leader in fair lending but acknowledged room for improvement, calling disparities "an industry-wide challenge."

The Cincinnati bank's new division will lend to nonbanks that make or bundle together residential mortgage loans, whose businesses have slowed as higher interest rates lower appetite for refinancing. The warehouse sector has seen "fierce competition" among banks lately, one analyst wrote.

A federal judge found last year that a credit reporting dispute did not have to be investigated because the consumer's complaint was frivolous. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission argue that the decision undermines a key purpose of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

The Mortgage Bankers Association forecast comes as bankers continue keeping an eye on their commercial real estate portfolios, including office buildings. The MBA also noted that many companies have long-term leases on their offices, likely making the hit more gradual.

Higher mortgage rates have led to a sharp slowdown in cash-out refinances. Second mortgages were up nearly 50% in the first five months of the year as homeowners looked for new ways to borrow against their equity.

Advances by Federal Home Loan banks hit a 15-year low last year, but commercial banks and other financial institutions are clamoring for more as loan demand has increased and deposits have ebbed. How long will the trend continue?

Late-payment rates are rising at nonbanks that lend to people with lower credit scores. "We're probably entering a stretch where you're going to see a separation between those that are relatively good underwriters and those that are not," one analyst said.

Even though delinquency rates were previously at extremely low levels, the recent uptick among poorer consumers is worth monitoring, New York Fed researchers said.

The San Francisco megabank plans to reinstate guidance that drew scrutiny following revelations that women and nonwhite candidates were interviewed for jobs that had been reserved for someone else.

Like other mortgage lenders, the San Francisco megabank has been cutting staff since refinancing volumes started to fall. Additional layoffs are expected over the next couple of quarters, according to the bank’s chief financial officer.

Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf hired Mike Weinbach in 2020 as part of a broader organizational shake-up. The former JPMorgan Chase executive is leaving in mid-September as the consumer lending group transitions to a new leader.