Banking

Navy Federal, the nation's largest credit union, is facing a lawsuit about its allegedly discriminatory mortgage lending practices.

JPMorgan Chase closed out the most profitable year in U.S. banking history with its seventh consecutive quarter of record net interest income and a surprise forecast that the windfall may continue this year. 

The guidance also underscores consumer rights to obtain access to their own information as well as identities of sources providing data.

More clarity around values and an urgent need to address looming debt maturities are expected to spark more deals, a report from Jones Lang LaSalle said.

The agency plans to restrict access to a system that provides borrower tax returns to mortgage lenders beginning June 30. Left out of the loop, small-business lenders say getting credit to borrowers will become more difficult as a result.

The company has linked tradeline information to lien data in ways designed to help mortgage portfolio managers keep pace with property values as they change.

Clark Street Capital said it developed a service to pair sellers with multiple potential buyers within just two weeks. It's meant to help small lenders close deals fast while still getting the benefits of a bidding process.

The top five banks and thrifts have nearly $96 billion in combined home equity loan portfolios as of September 30, 2023.

Southern Bancorp in Little Rock, Arkansas, plans to put $250 million in equity capital it received from the Treasury Department to good use making mortgages and acquiring banks.

Consumer delinquencies Vantagescore tracked during November generally were above pre-pandemic levels as shopping season began. Mortgages remained the exception.

The North Carolina-based company said it expects to close about 4% of its branch network, or roughly 80 offices, by the end of the first quarter. The closures come amid Truist's $750 million cost-cutting initiative.

Bank investors hope they can party like it's 1995, when the U.S. economy stayed healthy even after aggressive Federal Reserve rate hikes. But a few analysts are a bit more cautious over whether banks' loan books will hold up as well this time.

The delinquency rate that Kroll Bond Rating Agency tracks improved last month but JER's recent Chapter 11 filing and 2024 forecasts suggest it's still under pressure.

Credit unions have announced 11 deals for banks so far in 2023, five short of 2022's total.

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.