Mortgage activity fell at the start of the year, but lower mortgage rates are boosting refinance volume, and Generation Z is starting to creep into the housing market, according to TransUnion.

Bank of America says rate cuts could reinvigorate mortgages and that its digital and cards strategies will help it grab more market share to offset shrinking margins.

The Minneapolis bank reported growth across several lending and noninterest income categories in the second quarter, which offset net interest margin pressures and declining deposit service fees.

The agency has required restitution in just one of six settlements under its new director, raising questions about whether the pattern will continue.

While student, auto and credit card balances are at or near record levels, housing debt is shrinking, credit quality is weakening a bit and lending standards, at least in some sectors, are tightening.

Consumer lending should also be a bright spot, while mortgage lending could be suppressed by rising rates and tight housing supplies.

More consumers fell behind on their loans in the third quarter of 2018, even as average wages rose and the unemployment rate fell to a 50-year low.

Mortgage debt outstanding remains below pre-crisis levels and home equity is growing, even as overall consumer debt is on pace to surpass its previous 2008 peak by $1 trillion, according to LendingTree.

The post-recession boom in auto loans and credit cards for borrowers with marred credit histories has been winding down in recent months.

The news of the data breach cast a shadow over relatively strong first-quarter earnings for the Atlanta bank.