Consumer lending

As U.S. credit card balances continue to march above $1 trillion, the number of newly delinquent credit card users now exceeds the pre-pandemic average and millennials and those with student or auto loans are driving the increase in past-due payments, the New York Fed said.

The withdrawal of pandemic housing relief and high home prices have heightened consumer strain, according to nonprofit Money Management International.

In one of the deal's positive credit attributes, none of the underlying loans in the collateral have terms longer than 72 months. Such longer-term loans have historically performed worse than shorter-term loans.

As interest rates rise and delinquencies among borrowers with poor credit scores soar, investors are increasingly scrutinizing the riskiest slices of asset-backed securities sold by some subprime auto lenders. That's forced certain issuers to postpone deals or sweeten terms.

The student loan servicer said that it's open to settling a high-stakes lawsuit filed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau during the Obama administration. It recorded a $45 million charge and said that the range of reasonably possible losses is between $0 and $250 million.

Esoteric transactions' premiums and longer durations are especially attractive, as other consumer assets are put to the test.

Both tranches have the same legal final maturity of Oct. 20, 2033, an initial (OC) of 26.00%, and an initial reserve of 0.50%.

The deal has the smallest pool balance from the ACHV program this year, with an aggregate current principal balance of $177.8 million. The collateral pool contains 14,141 loans, with an average current loan size of $12,577.

Charge-offs at the Detroit-based lender rose last quarter, as borrowers had a tougher time keeping up with their car payments. But so far, credit quality is staying within expectations, and company executives don't anticipate that the rest of the year will be much worse.

Following the end of a long moratorium for federal student loan borrowers, monthly payments are expected to total $18 billion. Much of that money will come from checking and savings accounts, which will put more pressure on banks' deposit bases.

The notes have the same final scheduled repayment date of Oct. 22, 2035, an initial credit enhancement that ranges from 43.85% on the class A notes to 13.15% on the class E notes.

Notes will repay investors on a sequential basis, S&P said. One of S&P's rationales for assigning its ratings is the available credit support, including excess spread of 49.0%, 44.7%, 37.3% and 31.5% on classes A, B, C and D notes.

The deal is the eleventh this year for Pagaya AI Debt Selection Trust, and is slated to close by September 29.

Purchases of new single-family homes fell 8.7% to a 675,000 annualized pace following an upward revision to July's figures, government data showed Tuesday, marking the largest drop in nearly a year.

Backed by revenue from point-of-sale unsecured consumer loans, the upsized deal also features expandable notes.

Pagaya's artificial-intelligence model utilizes more data points in assessing whether a consumer is creditworthy than the handful typically used by traditional auto lenders, so it can find more consumers who would have previously been denied a loan.

Banking and credit union regulators encouraged compassionate treatment of customers in Hawaii communities hit by wildfires. They also vowed to grant expedited approvals of temporary banking facilities, be flexible in compliance matters and provide other support to financial institutions.

The current pool does contain personal loan renewals, and they remain in the pool as eligible collateral during a three-year revolving period.

Much of the industry is slimming down, with some banks calling it quits on riskier sectors and selling loans they no longer want. The trend is particularly prominent at regional banks that are preparing to comply with new capital rules.

The San Francisco company's student loan business suffered from the moratorium on federal borrowers' loans. But executives see a rebound ahead despite high interest rates dampening appetite for refinancing.