Banking

Banking executives and analysts worry that the Federal Reserve's aggressive plan to raise interest rates will be insufficient to tame inflation and overcome economic fallout from the war in Ukraine.

The move away from the scandal-plagued London interbank offered rate is going smoothly, according to a new survey of lenders and corporate borrowers. But many customers still face operational challenges ahead of a mid-2023 deadline for switching older loans.

The company has filed a lawsuit against the banking commissioner for threatening to end its partnership with a bank that enables consumer loans to exceed the state’s 36% interest rate cap. OppFi’s argument: Its bank partner is the true lender.

The long-awaited Community Reinvestment Act reform plan is likely to address climate change and bank partnerships with nonbank lenders, while also taking into account the shrinking number of U.S. bank branches, government officials said Monday.

Credit unions and banks need to ask themselves if they're finding ways to say "yes" to consumers who too often hear "no" from mainstream institutions. Otherwise, they perpetuate a system that excludes the poor and people of color and drive them toward nonbanks, said Pablo DeFilippi of Inclusiv Network and other experts.

Lawmakers in New Mexico recently approved a stringent rate limit, and similar efforts are underway in Rhode Island and Michigan. The state-level actions are among the "numerous headwinds" facing high-cost lenders, one analyst said.

CFPB Director Rohit Chopra said the bureau is concerned that the spike in car prices, due partly to the global chip shortage, could create incentives for servicers to illegally seize vehicles for their resale value.

Community lenders may choose to stop serving small businesses rather than absorb the expense of collecting information on race and ethnicity under a proposal by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The agreement to acquire Vantage Financial in Minnesota comes less than a year after Peoples Bank purchased North Star Leasing in Vermont.

The Silicon Valley fintech expects to make $1.5 billion in auto loans this year after implementing key elements needed to achieve scale, said CEO David Girouard. The expansion comes as the automotive market continues to boom.