Banking

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will take a bite out of bank profits in 2024 by issuing final rules on overdraft and credit card late fees, among other major rulemakings.

The deadline for a $28 million deal between Bancorp 34 and CBOA Financial was pushed later into 2024 after Bancorp 34, the buyer, announced it would restate third-quarter results to reflect a significant loss tied to a worsening commercial real estate credit.

The lawsuit accuses Navy Federal of violating the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act after a CNN report that the lender approved a lower percentage of Black and Latino mortgage applicants.

Remote work trends and high interest rates have substantially reduced the values of U.S. office buildings. A new academic paper estimates the extent of the deterioration, suggesting that there is perhaps more stress ahead for banks than is widely anticipated.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and other Senate Democrats urged the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to rescind regulations or guidance that contradict the way Dodd-Frank says the OCC should deal with state consumer protection rules.

Across the industry, the pace of branch shutdowns slowed this year. Still, large financial institutions continued to trim their physical footprints, with two super-regional banks taking the most aggressive actions.

Analysts agree that the Long Island-based bank will probably absorb some losses due to its exposure to struggling segments of the commercial real estate market. But they differ on the extent of the likely damage.

Decreasing availability of jumbo and non-QM products accounted for most of November's pullback, as other types of loan offerings saw minimal changes, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Internet-based banks are siphoning deposits away from urban centers in the U.S. and, unlike brick-and-mortar banks, face no requirement that they loan money back into those communities.

Too few lenders are underwriting unsecured consumer debt, which could help borrowers pay down credit card balances with little risk to lenders.