After a year of belt-tightening, loan balances at our nation’s banks grew slightly ($33.2 billion or 0.3%) during the second quarter of 2021. In spite of banks’ eagerness to lend, loan balances remain well below (1.2%) the levels of the…
Deposit Growth Slows, Doesn’t Stop
Deposits continue to climb at our nation’s banks, but the growth has slowed considerably since the early days of the pandemic. Deposit growth in the first and second quarters of 2020 was 7½% or better whereas second quarter of 2021…
All Bank Ratings Now as of June 30, 2021 Data
All bank star-ratings are now updated in Jumbo Rate News and on our website (bauerfinancial.com); credit union star ratings and reports will be updated in early September. We are pleasantly surprised at how well our Nation’s banks are holding up…
The Credit Card You Seek May be Closer…
During the 12 months ended March 31, 2021, credit card loans outstanding from the nation’s banks dropped a stunning 12.8%, and an even more notable 19.2% lower than their peak at the close of 2019. Preliminary reports suggest that downward…
Consumer Loan Growth Bucks Trend at Some Banks
During the last nine months of 2020, many Americans took advantage of government stimulus and forbearance on mortgage loans to pay down (or off) personal debt. As a result, from March 31, 2020 to March 31, 2021 the banking industry…
Record Low Interest Margins Put Squeeze On
The average net interest margin at our nation’s banks contracted to its lowest level on record (2.56%) at March 31, 2021. In one year, the industry saw a decline of $29.8 billion in interest income, a decrease of 17.6%. If…
Kinda, Sorta, Comparable. But Not Really.
A new proposed “simplified” rule for credit unions is being likened to one in use for banks. Is it really? The proposed Complex Credit Union Leverage Ratio (CCULR), as its name suggests, is aimed at “complex” credit unions. Whereas the…
Who are You Calling a Predator?
Not us, say Big Banks, in response to comments by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) who reportedly called out “giant banks that make billions of dollars in profits and squeeze every last penny out of customers who are struggling”.-American Banker 7/19/21.…
The Bank Branch is Alive and Well, Thank You
Like everything else, banking is changing and evolving to meet the changing needs and demands of the times. There is no doubt about that. But anyone predicting the demise of the bank branch is premature, at best …at least in…
Mortgage Performance Declines
A recent report by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) grabbed our attention with this headline. Then we realized, it was comparing mortgage performance to a year ago (Q1’20 i.e. pre-pandemic). While we did see a spike…