Banking

Affirm partners with Sixth Street to sell its buy now/pay later loans to the investment firm; Associated Banc-Corp promotes Steven Zandpour to deputy head of consumer and business banking; Visa Direct speeds up its money transfers; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

About $2 billion changes hands daily for the sale of new motor vehicles in the U.S., making auto dealers a prime use case for faster payments. So why aren't more using it?

Top retail-mall owner Taubman has approached the market with a $1 billion CMBS deal to refinance the existing debt that is collateralized by one of the highest volume shopping centers in the U.S.

The market expects 5.2% yields on the AAA-rated tranche, slightly tighter than the 5.1% seen on the AAA-rated notes on an earlier deal, the Affirm Asset Securitization Trust, 2024-B series.

Initially, the notes benefit from a reserve fund that equals 0.50% of the pool balance; overcollateralization, which represents 10.60% of the pool balance; and subordination.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra said the FICO credit-scoring model has drawbacks in price, predictiveness and market competition, and stakeholders should develop a more open-sourced model that uses artificial intelligence.

Analysts say lenders' shares could rally on deregulation, lighter tax burdens and a resurgence of M&A. Declining interest rates and lower loan losses could further bolster bottom lines and attract investor interest.

Lower borrowing costs, reduced exposure to the urban office sector and flattening vacancy rates could collectively save lenders from beleaguered corners of the commercial real estate market.

Some lenders are once again hiring mortgage lenders, but memories of the painful staffing cuts they were forced to make over the past two years remain top of mind.

Treasury yields rose the day after President-elect Donald Trump was picked. The short-term result: It's harder for commercial real estate lenders and borrowers to find common ground.