Banking

High vacancy rates in U.S. office markets and the impact of rising interest rates on property values in Europe have prompted a brutal selloff in publicly traded real estate stocks and bonds.

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.

The technology that powers ChatGPT can sift through and even synthesize massive amounts of data, though it must overcome doubts over reliability, transparency and regulatory risk before it can be harnessed to conduct useful research.

Transgender and nonbinary people who switch their names to fit their gender identity must send documentation to all three national credit bureaus in order to avoid a hit to their credit — and many aren't aware of the need to do so.

The proposed legislation from Tennessee Republican John Rose calls for limiting the sale of consumer information to mortgage lenders, but includes stipulations for those with existing relationships.

Cullen/Frost, Columbia, Synovus, Valley National and Associated all have relatively large exposures to the office sector, which has been hurt by the popularity of remote work. Their executives point to factors that offer protection, including the geographic composition of their portfolios and the types of buildings that serve as collateral.

Realtor, mortgage banking, depository, securities, community lending, building, insurer, credit union and fair housing groups foresee operational complexities.

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.