Banking

Recent reports highlight the question of how much wage growth can do to sustain loan performance as pandemic relief gets rolled back, consumer costs rise and the housing market cools.

The rating agency has revised the long-term issuer default rating for PacWest Bancorp and its banking subsidiary, Pacific Western Bank, from "BBB" to "BBB-" and says it doesn't expect the bank's common equity Tier 1 ratio to bounce back anytime soon.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said a company doesn't need to experience a data breach for the agency to consider taking action.

Rising interest rates, lower stock prices and other headwinds have caused many banks to pump the brakes on dealmaking. But some are betting that these trends will be too short-lived to deter them from engaging in mergers and acquisitions.

Huntington Bancshares has hired Shawn Lough, a veteran Truist Financial banker and West Point graduate, to help guide the sales strategy and goals of its consumer and business banking operation. It also expanded the duties of Digital Director Mark Sheehan to include deposits.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's review of credit card late fees has ignited pushback from industry that supports an expected 9% jump in fees next year pegged to inflation. 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is investigating some of the bank's credit card practices, including refunds, billing errors and credit bureau reporting, according to a securities filing Thursday.

Even though delinquency rates were previously at extremely low levels, the recent uptick among poorer consumers is worth monitoring, New York Fed researchers said.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said “time is running out” for military student loan borrowers to obtain debt relief under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

The McLean, Virginia, company is starting to “trim around the edges” of its auto portfolio, CEO Richard Fairbank said. That move stands in contrast with Capital One's leaning into its credit card business, which helped push marketing spending above $1 billion.

Unlike some of its peers, the Dallas bank says the U.S. economy is strong, clients are upbeat and lending momentum continues.

The latest expense guidance also stems from rising operating losses at the North Carolina bank. Cost-cutting was a key rationale for the 2019 merger of BB&T and SunTrust, which created Truist.

Like other mortgage lenders, the San Francisco megabank has been cutting staff since refinancing volumes started to fall. Additional layoffs are expected over the next couple of quarters, according to the bank’s chief financial officer.

The bureau has dragged its feet for years in moving forward with the rule primarily because of the potential impact on credit availability for millions of small businesses.

Klarna Bank, which advertises itself as a way to spread the cost of the latest brands and smartphones, is shelling out loans for milk and gas with cash-strapped customers looking for ways to cover basic necessities.

Three weeks before the American Dream super-mall is due to pay debt backed by New Jersey economic development grants, the state hasn’t approved a key document needed to release the cash, raising the risk bondholders won’t get their money.

A bank club led by Morgan Stanley has posted the steepest discount on a leveraged loan so far this year as Wall Street institutions struggle to lock down buyers for risky debt amid mounting recession fears. 

The Tokyo-based company has named Masatoshi Komoriya executive chairman of the board of directors for MUFG Americas Holdings Corp. and its U.S. banking subsidiary. He begins his new role on June 30 while retaining existing executive duties.

Business owners are seeing their cash flow strained by the highest inflation in 40 years and mounting costs to borrow money.

Most banks’ interest income will rise following the Fed policy shift. But the rate increase also boosts the likelihood of a recession that could hurt borrowers and drive up loan losses.