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consumer credit

Latest Headlines

Latest Headlines

Spin game: Reform to hurt JPMorgan or Goldman Sachs more?

There's a lot of worry about how the financial reform legislation will ultimately impact the top banks. Most assume that the big boys will be pressured. Many further assume that Goldman Sachs ( NYSE: GS ) will be hardest hit because of its proprietary trading and principal investing activity. Bu

Meredith Whitney: Credit card reform to hurt lower middle class

Celebrity analyst Meredith Whitney ( Meredith Whitney news) says there's still a lot of credit contraction in the works. She estimates that banks and lenders will pull $2.7 trillion in outstanding consumer credit lines by the end of next year. That translates into less credit for small business

JPMorgan's earnings surprise many

JPMorgan ( JPM ) seems bent on turning itself into an investment banking power. A transition which is already paying off from an earnings perspective. A strong showing in investment banking offset some big losses in core commercial banking, notably credit card debts and mortgage activity. JP

New credit card rules begin to kick in

Starting on August 20, credit card issuers were required to give consumers 45 days notice before hiking interest rates or fees. The new rules also make it harder for customers to incur late fees. Now, bills must be sent to customers 21 days before payments are due. This is the first in a wave of r

Consumer credit: Banks gain, customer pain

Banks are cutting back on consumer credit at an accelerating pace, says bank analyst Meredith Whitney. Citigroup, Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase, which account for three-fifths of all unused credit lines, cut $320 billion in consumer credit lines in the first quarter, after cutting $308 billio

Mayo pares estimates for Citigroup

Deutsche Bank analyst Mike Mayo has boosted his loss estimate for Citigroup in 2009 by 30 cents to $1 per share. He also cut his 2010 earnings estimate to 75 cents per share from $1.15, according to media reports. In slashing estimates for a host of banks, Mayo noted the recession and the pressure

Hedge funds can now borrow from Fed

The government is committed to keeping the wheels of consumer credit greased. To that end, it has launched a $200 billion effort to support the market for consumer receivables. The Fed announced it will "offer low-cost three-year funding to any U.S. company investing in securitized consumer loans

Government to pass on buying troubled securities

Not to gloat, but I have been suggesting for a while that the government might not go forward with its plans to buy up troubled securities--originally the centerpiece of bailout ambitions. The valuation issues were just too tricky. Now comes word that Henry Paulson has announced that the Treasury

Are prime consumers the next big worry for banks?

We've spoken ad nauseum about the risks of subprime debts that have filtered through the financial system in many surprising ways. But a lot of prime borrowers have been silently struggling through this economic slowdown. Now there are signs that home equity credits will come under heavy pressure.

Citigroup earnings worse than expected

Citigroup  lost $1.02 per share, lagging behind the average estimate of 95 cents a share. This is one of those downside surprises that somehow is not all that surprising. The bank wrote off $12 billion in subprime-related debt, bond insurer exposure, leveraged loan commitments, auction rate s