SBA: Office of Surety Guarantees Award Winners Recognized
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recognizes the Office of Surety Guarantees award winners for their continued work to help small contracting businesses acquire surety bonds. Three SBA surety bond partners were selected to receive awards based on their participation, activity, claims and recovery, and their commitment to helping small businesses obtain contracts with both…
CFPB: Regulations Proposed to Implement the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
Today the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to implement the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). The proposal would provide consumers with clear protections against harassment by debt collectors and straightforward options to address or dispute debts. Among other things, the NPRM would set clear, bright-line limits on…
CFPB: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Issued for HMDA Rules
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) today issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which proposes to raise the coverage thresholds for collecting and reporting data about closed-end mortgage loans and open-end lines of credit under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) rules. The NPRM would provide relief to smaller lenders from HMDA’s data reporting…
FHFA: Index Shows Mortgage Rates Decreased in March 2019
Nationally, interest rates on conventional purchase-money mortgages decreased from February to March, according to several indices of new mortgage contracts. The National Average Contract Mortgage Rate for the Purchase of Previously Occupied Homes by Combined Lenders Index was 4.36 percent for loans closed in late March, down 10 basis points from 4.46 percent in February. The…
ABA: Report Shows Credit Card Market Expanded in Fourth Quarter 2018
Credit card use continued to expand in the fourth quarter of 2018, according to the American Bankers Association’s latest quarterly Credit Card Market Monitor. Compared to the previous quarter, purchase volumes increased for super-prime (+2.7 percent) and prime accounts (+1.4 percent), but declined modestly for subprime accounts (-0.9 percent). On an annual basis, purchase volumes…
ABA: Report Shows Bank Lending Rose to $108 Billion in 2018
Strong performance, asset quality and capital levels in 2018 U.S. farm banks increased agricultural lending by 5.3 percent, or $5.5 billion, to $108 billion in 2018, according to the American Bankers Association’s annual Farm Bank Performance Report. The report—an analysis by ABA’s economic research team based on FDIC data—examines the performance of the nation’s 1,772 banks…
CFPB: A No-Cost Way to Prepare Your Credit for a Big Purchase
Thinking about buying a house, car, or other big ticket item, and know you’ll be using credit? Before making a big purchase, your first step should be to take a look at all of your finances. Check out these five steps to prepare your finances that won’t cost you a penny. 1. Take advantage of…
ABA: Reports Shows Consumer Delinquencies Mixed in Fourth Quarter 2018
Consumer credit delinquencies were mixed in last year’s fourth quarter, with delinquencies falling for the composite index of closed-end loans and rising in other open-end loan categories, according to results from the American Bankers Association’s Consumer Credit Delinquency Bulletin. Overall, delinquencies fell in six of the 11 categories tracked by ABA while five categories rose….
OCC: Revised Interagency Examination Procedures for HMDA Issued
Summary The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is issuing this bulletin to inform national banks, federal savings associations, and federal branches and agencies (collectively, banks) about revised interagency examination procedures for determining compliance with the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA). Highlights The examination procedures were developed by members of the Federal Financial…
FDIC: New Podcast Series Chronicles Causes, Responses to Financial Crisis
The FDIC today released a series of podcasts featuring discussions about Crisis and Response: An FDIC History, 2008–2013, the agency’s study of the banking and financial crisis. The podcast series gives listeners a unique behind-the-scenes perspective on the crisis, as FDIC officials share their insights into the agency’s decision-making strategies and actions. “The podcasts will allow…