Almost all U.S. banks hold some amount of securities on their books at any given time. But how they report the value of those securities can make a big difference on the bank’s book equity capital… but not necessarily on…
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Because We Can Not Live on Cranberries Alone
We wish we could feast on cranberries alone. That was the only item in the American Farm Bureau Federation®’s (AFBF) Annual Cost of Thanksgiving Dinner Survey that actual decreased in price this year. (Last year it was the cubed stuffing…
Mortgage Rates Break 7%, 1st Time in 2 Decades
U.S. banks reported that total loans and leases 30-89 days past due at June 30th were up 25% from a year earlier. And, as we reported last week, a sizable portion of that increase was attributed to credit cards and…
Control Your Debt Before It Controls You
As we watch with contentment as CD rates continue to rise, we know there is also an unmistakable down-side to the Federal Reserve’s persistent rate increases. If it hasn’t already, it will soon be making its debut in a wallet…
Commercial Loans Spooking Some Banks
What could be more scary than high prices and even higher borrowing costs? Another 75 basis point increase in the Fed Funds rate on Wednesday, November 2nd. That’s what. After having borrowing costs near zero for two years, the Federal…
Uninsured Deposits at U.S. CUs Top $165 Billion
Nearly three quarters of all federally-insured credit unions have at least some shares/deposits that exceed the insurance limit (which is typically $250,000). The total of uninsured shares reported by these CUs at June 30th topped $165 billion. If that’s not…
Community Bank Branches are NOT Going Away
That may seem contradictory to the chart below, but notice we said “community bank branches”. According to the FDIC, in the past 12 months, the industry has closed 3,617 branch offices and opened just 1,148 for a net loss of…
More than a Slap on the Wrist for 2-Time Offender
The average amount that U.S. banks charge annually in fees on personal deposit accounts is about 0.19% of the total balances on transaction and savings accounts (T&SA). These fees include overdraft-related charges, periodic maintenance fees, ATM charges and “other” service…
Bank Deposits Decline for 1st Time in 4 Years
Deposits at U.S. banks grew swiftly after COVID arrived here in the states. In fact, domestic deposits increased by 37.5% during calendar 2020 and 2021 and finally peaked on March 31, 2022 at $18.426 trillion. One would think (at least…
Problematic CUs at Highest Level Since 2014
Federally-Insured Credit Unions rated 2-Stars or below, and therefore relegated to Bauer’s Troubled and Problematic Credit Union Report (T&P), are climbing, slowly but surely. Currently at 150 (out of 4,853), that may not seem like a lot. But, it has…