Banking

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.

Banks and companies that use artificial intelligence to make loans agree with regulators that it should be tested for fairness. But they also say traditional loans could be just as biased.

The company has agreed to pay at least $3.75 million to resolve allegations that it violated the District of Columbia’s 24% interest rate cap.

Six members of the Senate Banking Committee are asking questions about a flurry of lawsuits against credit card customers. The bank denies that it has resumed using robo-signing.

Only 12% of large and regional banks in the U.S. and Canada are running the scenario analyses that regulators are poised to recommend, according to a new survey. Observers say progress has been faster on the other side of the Atlantic, as European banks and their regulators have moved more quickly to develop a uniform system for quantifying risks.

The moves, which are part of a multiyear strategy, are meant to focus resources in areas where the Spanish banking giant can earn solid returns.