Banking

USAlliance Federal Credit Union in Rye, New York, has agreed to merge with Marriott Employees' Federal Credit Union in Bethesda, Maryland, to create a nearly $3 billion-asset organization.

The acquisition, which was originally expected to close at the end of last year, ultimately took more than 18 months to receive regulatory approval. It is now expected to close on Dec. 1.

Executives from PNC, Regions and M&T are expressing confidence that their loan books can withstand a recession. "We don't see crisis-type things in front of us right now," said PNC Chief Financial Officer Robert Reilly.

Delinquencies are on the rise for FHA-backed loans, with nearly 10% of low-credit borrowers in early payment default. Economists and policy experts say this could signal trouble ahead for other credit products.

Collins Community Credit Union in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, said Monday that it laid off 38 employees, primarily in its mortgage lending division. In September, GreenState Credit Union in North Liberty, Iowa, cut 42 employees, or about 5% of its workforce.

The addition of investment bank Capstone Partners and the wider geographic footprint that resulted from the acquisition of TCF Financial helped drive a 58% increase in net income during the third quarter.

Credit bureaus should know better than to include "impossible" data, such as someone defaulting on a loan before they were born, says Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra.

The Cleveland bank expects to lose about $25 million in fee income per quarter as a result of recent changes to its overdraft policies. CEO Chris Gorman said Key plans to compensate by expanding its customer base.

Its investment banking and corporate lending revenues dipped during the third quarter, while treasury services and branded cards were bright spots. That formula will be tested by "rolling, country-level recessions" across the globe, CEO Jane Fraser predicts.

The Pittsburgh company's finance chief expects more gains in interest income, though he conceded rising deposit costs could curb the pace of advances.

The settlement with an insurer over Countrywide's mortgage-backed securities closes another chapter on what quickly proved to be an ill-advised acquisition for Bank of America. A trial on the case had kicked off last month.

The Pittsburgh-based parent of First National Bank of Pennsylvania plans to close its $117 million buyout of UB Bancorp in December.

Four of the seven large banks that own Zelle's parent company, Early Warning Services, said they are reimbursing 15% to 55% of consumers that report fraud on their accounts, according to a report released by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

TD Bank, the U.S. unit of the Canadian bank, has hired Christopher Fred as its new head of U.S. credit cards and unsecured lending. The bank's retail partners include Target and Nordstrom.

Taichung Commercial Bank said it would pay $82.1 million to buy American Continental Bancorp in suburban Los Angeles.

The same day Provident Financial Services announced it had agreed to buy Lakeland for $1.3 billion, the seller disclosed an ongoing fair-lending investigation by the Justice Department. Provident said it has "not heard anything" that would give it pause.

The all-stock acquisition of Lakeland Bancorp, expected to close in the second quarter of 2023, would create a combined bank with more than $25 billion of assets.

Technology is helping big banks gain market share and is more likely to drive consolidation in the years ahead than regional bank mergers.

The class-action lawsuit was brought on behalf of mortgage borrowers who were allegedly placed into forbearance during the early days of the pandemic without their consent.

The Consumer Bankers Association and the Center for Responsible Lending said the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau should renew its efforts to level the regulatory playing field between larger bank and nonbank companies that make installment and other kinds of personal loans.