Automakers want to start banks, hoping to benefit from lighter-touch rules
In addition to the three U.S. carmakers, several other nonfinancial businesses are interested in seeking regulatory permission to launch their own banks.
Loans
Partisan school boards, payday lending bills move forward
With the committee deadline over, lawmakers are now working with fewer bills in the 2025 session.
Trump OKs $782M loan to Indianapolis company’s sustainable jet fuel subsidiary
Montana Renewables is a subsidiary of Indianapolis-based Calumet Specialty Products Partners LP. Calumet launched Montana Renewables in 2021 with the goal of becoming one of the top renewable diesel producers in North America.
Indiana lawmaker seeks regulations for early-wage-access industry
Critics of the bill, authored by Republican Rep. Jake Teshka, summed the proposal up as “re-warmed payday lending.”
Legal battle looms as Trump orders funding freeze during review of federal loans, grants
The White House is pausing federal grants and loans starting Tuesday as President Donald Trump’s administration begins an across-the-board ideological review of its spending.
Federal consumer agency bans unpaid medical bills from credit reports
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule will remove $49 billion in medical debt from the credit reports of more than 15 million Americans, according to the bureau.
Average 30-year mortgage rate climbs to 6.85%, highest since July
While sales of previously occupied U.S. homes rose in November for the second straight month, the housing market remains in a slump and on track for its worst year since 1995.
State receives $196M loan from EPA for water projects
Funding will go toward updating aging water systems and replacing lead pipes, building and expanding water systems in growing areas and improving cybersecurity systems.
Veterans face challenges starting small businesses, but there are resources to help
Veterans own nearly 2 million small businesses that employ 5.5 million people in the U.S. Their numbers have shrunk, however, as the veteran population has aged.
Central Indiana’s largest office park secures new loan, additional investment
More than $36 million already has been invested into the campus over the past eight years, with updates to building systems, indoor and outdoor amenities, lobby spaces, restrooms and facades.
For home shoppers, Fed’s big rate cut is small step toward affording a home
While lower rates give home shoppers more purchasing power, a mortgage around 6% is still not low enough for many Americans struggling to afford a home.
Student loan servicer Navient reaches $120 million settlement
The settlement stems from a 2017 lawsuit brought by the bureau that casts Navient as a company that was far more concerned with its financial interests than the needs of vulnerable student loan borrowers.
COVID-19 government disaster loans saved businesses, but saddled some survivors with debt
The SBA awarded about 4 million loans worth $380 billion through the program. More than $300 billion was outstanding as of late 2023.
Average rate on a 30-year mortgage eases to 6.46%, the lowest level in 15 months
The recent pullback in mortgage rates overall has sparked a pickup in applications for home refinancing loans, which are 23% higher than a month ago, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.
Homeowners race to refinance as mortgage rates retreat from 23-year highs
Refinance applications were up nearly 60% nationally versus the same week last year, but applications for loans to buy a home are still down from a year ago.
Car loan defaults jump as consumers battle inflation, high interest rates
A Cox Automotive report finds that car repossessions nationwide are up 23% over last year and 14% compared with the first half of 2019.
Agency says apps that let workers access paychecks before payday are providing loans
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Thursday that apps that allow workers to access their paychecks should be subject to the Truth in Lending Act, a 1968 law that requires lenders disclose all loan costs and fees.
Fifth Third Bank to pay $5M to settle auto insurance allegations
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra said the bank had been “illegally loading up auto loan bills with excessive charges,” with about 1,000 families losing their cars to repossession as a result.
More struggling with credit card debt in potentially bad sign for economy
The share of credit card debt that’s more than 90 days overdue rose to 10.7% during the first quarter, a 12-year high.
Giving a ‘hand up’: Special purpose credit programs gain traction with local lenders
SPCS is a tool that a growing number of lenders are adopting to help improve credit access for underserved groups.
They have been around since the 1970s, but they’ve recently become a lot more popular.