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Banks are still grappling with fallout of SVB's failure one year on

Mar 11, 2024
Regulators are more watchful, and banks are trying to be more resourceful.
The banking system was caught off guard by the problems at Silicon Valley Bank,  Signature Bank and First Republic Bank.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A year after Silicon Valley Bank failed, lenders are still feeling pressure on all sides

Feb 23, 2024
Rising interest rates have cranked up the interest banks are paying depositors. But banks also have a lot of cash stuck in low-interest bonds and loans they made before the Federal Reserve started raising interest rates.
A lot of the problems that last year’s bank failures revealed are still troubling small and mid-sized banks today.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Mortgages are still in demand. Qualifying for one is a different story.

Sep 29, 2023
Pending home sales fell more than 7% in August, according to the National Association of Realtors. While demand for homes is still high, people are having a harder time qualifying for mortgages — and that's intensifying demand for cheaper homes.
"A lot of our borrowers are assuming that in 3 or 5 years, those interest rates are going to have come back down," said Chris Duncan of La Salle State Bank at Illinois.
Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

As offices sit empty, some banks are more cautious about commercial real estate loans

Jul 4, 2023
Office building vacancies remain elevated, especially in coastal cities. Lenders worry about developers’ ability to pay back their debt.
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Foreclosure rate is the lowest since 2005, report says

Jan 18, 2018
Foreclosure activity fell in 2017 to a 12-year low, according to a new report by ATTOM Data Solutions. In 2017, 0.5 percent of all U.S. residential properties were in some stage of foreclosure — notice of default, scheduled auction or bank repossession. That’s down from a peak of 2.2 percent at the height of the […]

The mystery behind slowing business borrowing

Jan 3, 2018
The amount companies borrow from banks can be an important economic indicator. That’s money those companies might use to buy new equipment or purchase more stuff to sell, or to expand their business or be more productive. And yet, despite a strong economy, last year the rate of business-loan growth slowed. To be clear, it’s […]

Oil prices start the year on a high note

Jan 2, 2018
It’s the highest first-of-the-year price for oil since 2014. But the companies producing crude are taking a more cautious view of things than the investors and lenders who back their efforts. From unrest in Iran to uncertainty about the new tax code, oil could face a profitable but turbulent year. Click the audio player above […]

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Subprime loan market losing its appeal for lenders

Dec 27, 2017
Subprime loans give money to borrowers with less-than-stellar credit ratings. In return, lenders collect higher interest. But the shine is off lending to riskier borrowers these days. There’s word this week that Uber is selling off its subprime car-leasing division. That’s according to the Wall Street Journal, although Uber would not comment. The company originally […]

Auto-loan market starting to spook lenders

May 12, 2017
The state of the auto loan market is causing some concern among analysts. Many are drawing comparisons with the mortgage-lending crisis that figured largely in the financial crash of 2008. At issue is the growing number of riskier, subprime loans. Default rates are going up too.  And lenders are starting to get spooked.  Click the […]

Holding individuals responsible for the financial crisis

Jul 31, 2014
A former Countrywide employee was fined $1 million, but such cases are rare.