Eligible borrowers would receive a credit for up to $5,000 to pay for expenses like insurance, taxes and closing costs. The program comes months after fair-lending advocacy groups criticized KeyBank for its low rate of lending to Black borrowers.

As President Biden tries to revive a key campaign promise to provide widespread debt relief to student-loan borrowers after a Supreme Court setback, legal experts warn that he's likely to encounter a fresh wave of lawsuits challenging his authority to act without congressional approval.

PeoplesBank in Massachusetts and others have developed digital brands that cater to younger customers' demands for smoother technology and mobile experiences.

Under a 2-year-old program, homebuyers receive grants of up to $5,000 for down payments and closing costs. JPMorgan Chase said the latest expansion — to some new 3,000 census tracts in 16 U.S. markets — may help an additional 1,000 customers obtain mortgages.

Rising interest rates on loans, greater borrowing and higher fees on deposit accounts all contributed to the increase. "Altogether, this paints a picture of debt that could really start to strain the checkbooks of American families," said Meghan Greene, a researcher at the nonprofit organization that authored the report.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued two reports analyzing banking and consumer credit trends in the South, where many rural areas are considered "banking deserts."

The American Bankers Association's Economic Advisory Committee said access to loans is likely to further soften, while defaults and credit losses could increase in the second half of the year.

Decision-making algorithms powered by machine learning are seen as the next frontier for a more nuanced approach to mortgage decisions but skeptics worry this will just be a new way to discriminate.

Bank of America is also planning to expand into Madison, Wisconsin; Boise, Idaho; and Birmingham, Alabama, a company executive said. The goal is to find growth opportunities that don't require operating a large number of branches, the executive indicated.

A West Virginia homeowner is suing the banking giant for charges incurred when paying by phone, claiming breach of contract and violation of consumer protection laws.