Banking

In his first American Banker interview since becoming CEO two years ago, Thomas Cangemi talks about the company's transformation into a full-service commercial bank now that it has completed its twice-delayed acquisition of Flagstar Bancorp.

Foreclosure starts also increased by over 19% between October and November but remain below pre-pandemic levels.

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.

Recent clashes over how much investors should get paid when borrowers switch to a new benchmark are a small part of a much larger struggle by global regulators to shift markets away from the scandal-tainted London interbank offered rate.

Though housing is experiencing severe rate-related stress, mortgage banking remains central to the Denver-based bank's business model. The Texas market has held up better than much of the rest of the country, company executives say.

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."

Nonbanks would have to inform the CFPB of any state or local court decisions against them involving consumer financial products, under a new proposed rule. That information would be pooled with data about federal violations and be made available to the public.

Benefits under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act were applied to fewer than 10% of auto loans for active-duty reserve members, the agency found. It urged financial institutions to ease the process for accessing the law's interest rate protections.

The acting comptroller of the currency said new CECL standards will help banks weather current economic uncertainty. He also touted the benefits of diversity in risk management.

After several years when the scandal-plagued bank was focused on cost cutting, CEO Charlie Scharf indicated Tuesday that the company has opportunities to expand revenue across every line of business.

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.

Lenders that offer streamlined refinances in the future shouldn't be required to consider the borrower's income or employment status, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The trade group's comments were part of its response to a request for information on mortgage products that would support the financial stability of households.

President Biden announced that his administration would extend the pandemic-era pause in student loan repayments through June 30 amid legal challenges to his college debt-forgiveness plan.

The top five have over seven billion dollars in total assets as of June 30, 2022.

The case involved a customer who was charged $100,000 in legal fees when he tried to pay off a commercial mortgage early. After the borrower waged a nearly decadelong legal fight, a Florida court ordered the bank to reimburse a portion of the fees.

Some of the biggest lenders to U.S. offices are weighing sales of loans on the properties as regulators heighten scrutiny on commercial real estate debt portfolios. 

But the likelihood of a recession and higher unemployment should drive the rate higher in the future, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

The acquisition, which was originally expected to close at the end of last year, ultimately took more than 18 months to receive regulatory approval. It is now expected to close on Dec. 1.

Major efforts are underway to eliminate discriminatory practices in property valuations.