Consumer lending

The San Carlos, California, consumer lender said it's "exploring strategic options" for its credit card portfolio, discontinuing its investment and retirement products and sunsetting a partnership with Sezzle in addition to embarking on a new round of job cuts.

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.