Consumer lending

Late payments on VA loans were up markedly within the first quarter, in contrast to other products, according to new Mortgage Bankers Association data.

The number of borrowers who are at their credit limits is approaching its pre-pandemic level, and the percentage of balances that are sliding into delinquency has hit its highest rate in more than a decade, according to new research. Still, card companies are generally expressing optimism about their credit outlooks.

Net charge-offs at the Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank increased by more than 80% in the first quarter compared with a year earlier. BofA executives say that the rising losses were in line with the bank's risk appetite.

What recent patterns in FHA delinquencies, distressed loan outcomes, foreclosures and the rates at which loans are prepaying or underwater can reveal about where the market is headed.

Compared to their older counterparts with similar limited credit history, Gen Z and millennial borrowers were also more likely to move into higher tiers of creditworthiness between 2021 and 2023, according to new research.

Lower commodity prices and decreases in government assistance are expected to push farm income lower this year and raise credit risk for banks.

Non-mortgage interest payments climbed to an annual rate of $573.4 billion in January. That's the highest on record even after adjusting for inflation — and within a hair's breadth of the $578.3 billion in annual mortgage interest that households were shelling out as of the last quarter of 2023.

The Mortgage Bankers Association's preliminary first half 2023 analysis shows the highest jump since the 2000s housing boom. Here's what might happen next.

The quarterly rise in late payments on Federal Housing Administration loans was more than five times the increase for home loans overall.

The Independent Community Bankers of America, American Bankers Association and other groups filed a lawsuit arguing that recent reforms to implementing regulations for the Community Reinvestment Act exceed statutory authority.

With tougher capital requirements looming, a number of regionals including U.S. Bancorp, Huntington and Santander are using these new instruments to share risk with nonbank investors and lighten their capital load. Experts point out the pros and cons.

As part of a settlement with the Justice Department, Patriot Bank must invest more than $1 million of the total in a loan subsidy fund for minority homeowners and take other corrective steps in its everyday business. The bank denied any wrongdoing.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Leaders at the helms of organizations like Georgia United Credit Union, BayPort Credit Union, Blend Labs and more are adapting products such as "soft check" credit scoring, artificial intelligence-powered bots to streamline application reviewal and more.

Income-producing loans secured by real estate are under pressure at banks, the government-sponsored enterprises, insurers, and in CMBS to varying degrees.

The trend exists in all past-due categories for subprime mortgages, but the numbers are still below levels seen just before the pandemic, Vantagescore found.