Consumer Debt Filings Kept Climbing in 2025
David McClendon, January Advisors
Last August we documented a sharp rebound in consumer debt lawsuits through 2024, and we found that a single debt buyer, LVNV Funding, accounted for an outsized share of the surge in filings.
That analysis was followed by Pew’s writeup of the trend and its case for reform, and the following week the New York Times reported on our findings. In this post, we’ve updated data through December 2025 and find that the trend continues. Filings rose again in 2025 in nearly every state we track, and LVNV continues to be the primary driver…
Read moreBig Banks Are Wading Back into Commercial Real-Estate Lending
Ben Glickman, The Wall Street Journal
Lenders were shunning the category just a few years ago, with investors and analysts warning of a wave of defaults
Big banks are on the hunt to grow their loan books and are turning back to an area they had shunned not that long ago. Just a few years ago, banks couldn’t get away from commercial real-estate loans fast enough, fearing potential losses as office vacancy rates remained elevated after the pandemic…
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Community Banks Push Back on Fed's 'Skinny' Account Proposal
Maria Volkova, American Banker
More than two dozen community banks raised concerns about the Federal Reserve’s proposed “skinny” payment account framework, arguing that it could give nonbank firms an unfair competitive advantage by providing access to the central bank’s payment rails without the same regulatory obligations as banks.
The banks, including INTRUST Bank, First Option Bank and Metairie Bank, also urged the Fed to explicitly state that the limited payment account would not serve as a pathway to obtaining a master account…
Read morePODCAST Immigration Status in Credit Underwriting: What Recent Federal Guidance Really Means for Lenders
Chris Willis; Troutman Pepper Locke/JD Supra
In this episode we walk through the recent wave of federal regulatory guidance addressing the role of immigration status in consumer lending and explain why the practical impact on lenders may be far more limited than the public discourse suggests.
Chris breaks down what each piece of guidance says, including the CFPB’s reminder that Regulation B permits immigration status considerations in ability-to-repay analyses for mortgages and credit cards, and the banking regulators’ safety and soundness and concentration risk warnings…
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