Consumer lending

Financial firms claim a proposal by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would restrict lending, raise borrowing costs and result in more denials of credit to consumers.

Stress tests suggest systemically important depositories could weather current risks. Meanwhile, single-family arrears remain low, but that business could be impacted.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said in an annual report to Congress that unpaid medical debt is plagued by inaccuracies, and that consumers are often faced with opaque pricing and uncertain insurance coverage.

The market could find out next year how well foreclosure prevention innovations and home equity protect borrowers from growing strains on affordability.

As U.S. credit card balances continue to march above $1 trillion, the number of newly delinquent credit card users now exceeds the pre-pandemic average and millennials and those with student or auto loans are driving the increase in past-due payments, the New York Fed said.

The withdrawal of pandemic housing relief and high home prices have heightened consumer strain, according to nonprofit Money Management International.

As the holiday shopping season approaches, late payments on credit cards have surpassed their pre-pandemic levels, according to a new VantageScore report. The consumers showing signs of deterioration include not only subprime borrowers, but also those with prime credit scores.

The top five lenders have an average total origination volume of more than $9 billion through June 30, 2023.

JPMorgan Chase now tops Wells Fargo in third-party servicing, origination volume and on-balance-sheet home loans, according to company filings.

Amplify Credit Union in Austin provided funding for the construction of 28 tiny homes to create more affordable housing in Round Rock, Texas. Several banks had previously shot down the project.

The San Antonio-based lender is introducing new products targeted at borrowers who make less than 80% of their county's median income. The loans, which will qualify for Community Reinvestment Act credit, could help expand access to the state's increasingly expensive housing market.

The combination of inflation and rising interest rates over the last 18 months has made it more difficult for Americans to stay on top of their loan payments, especially on credit cards and auto loans.

Georgia United Credit Union is collaborating with the income-verification fintech Argyle to combat submissions of false documents and other crimes.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said it would determine whether its victims' relief fund could be used to make payments to affected consumers because companies that agreed to settle allegations of illegal telemarketing practices are insolvent.

Home-purchase applications fell to the lowest level in a generation last week — and demand may be depressed even further when the pandemic-era freeze on student debt ends in October, according to a poll conducted by Pulsenomics LLC among more than 100 housing experts. 

Banking and credit union regulators encouraged compassionate treatment of customers in Hawaii communities hit by wildfires. They also vowed to grant expedited approvals of temporary banking facilities, be flexible in compliance matters and provide other support to financial institutions.

But mortgage numbers remain historically very low and fall short of pre-pandemic levels, according to VantageScore's latest monthly report.

Several community banks noted an uptick in problem loans in second-quarter earnings reports. Small lenders should brace for more of this, industry observers noted.

Over 111,000 distressed mortgage holders opted into a loan modification program during the COVID-19 pandemic by using a designated digital platform or app, according to Black Knight.

Americans are so desperate to break free from credit card, mortgage and auto loan debt that they'd resort to dangerous deeds, a survey by Beyond Finance found.