Banking

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has released a packed agenda centered on rewriting rules ranging from small business lending to open banking while rescinding several rules finalized under the Biden Administration last year.

Orlando-based Cogent Bank has hired a team to finance single-tenant net lease properties, an asset class characterized by exceptional credit quality.

The development bank's finance arm has bundled up exposures in loans it made to 57 companies across regions like Eastern Europe, South America and Asia, in a first for the bank.

Data suggests that the beleaguered commercial real estate market isn't going to get worse. And now that banks have had time to build reserves, any losses they do take shouldn't be disastrous, analysts say.

High interest rates and tough economic conditions played a role in the credit woes that overcame BayFirst Financial's small-dollar lending effort.

Late-payment rates among U.S. borrowers rose again in the second quarter, according to a report from the New York Fed. The trend reflects a sharp increase in student loan delinquencies, which have been climbing as pandemic-era policies have expired.

The securitization was also oversubscribed, with participation from more than 25 institutional investors, which will receive a blended fixed rate of 5.71%, the company said.

While the CPSART program, especially the 2022 and 2023 series, was performing worse than its initial or revised expectations, the 2025-C collateral was relatively better.

A dramatic boardroom purge at the NCUA has unleashed a fierce debate over the future of credit unions, and whether they're still serving their original mission.

A FICO survey shows 33% think exaggerating income on credit applications is acceptable. Ironically, many also prioritize strong fraud prevention from banks.

As high interest rates make refinancing impossible for many homeowners, increasing numbers of them are turning to HELOCs and home equity loans for cash.

The student loan giant fell far short of Wall Street's expectations, but its leaders say President Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" is likely to bring it billions of dollars in new business.

The two Southeast banks agreed to combine in a transaction valued at $8.6 billion. Synovus CEO Kevin Blair would be chief executive of the combined bank, but a slim majority of board members would come from Pinnacle.

Flagstar Bank wants to merge its holding company into the bank, which would cut $15 million in annual expenses and eliminate regulatory oversight by the Federal Reserve, leaving the OCC as its primary regulator. The bank's CEO, Joseph Otting, is a former comptroller of the currency.

Complaints to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have skyrocketed in the first half of 2025, due in part to an increase in payment scams generated by social media that target peer-to-peer payment platforms such as Zelle, Venmo and other apps.

A July pickup in activity is just a start, experts say. The banking industry's drive for scale and greater efficiency is expected to drive a renewed wave of consolidation, pushing the institution count lower.

The North Carolina-based regional bank still expects its revenue to outpace its spending this year, though if interest rates hold steady, it could "create some risk," a top executive said Friday.

Calls for applications for a bank-specific program within the Community Development Financial Institution Fund have been delayed, raising the possibility that those funds are unspent before the appropriated money expires.

Historically high interest rates and falling late-payment rates suggest that credit card issuers are tightening their underwriting standards amid economic uncertainty.

Community banks that could reel in cheap deposits while keeping a lid on expenses were able to outperform peers in 2024.