Auto lending

The agreement is expected to solidify a lending partnership whose status had been in doubt for more than a year. But it raised as many questions as it answered.

Santander Bank and Santander Consumer USA have put many problems behind them in recent years under CEO Scott Powell, but he still has a Federal Reserve enforcement action to resolve and is negotiating with Fiat Chrysler to preserve a crucial auto lending relationship.

Kathy Kraninger, the bureau's director, is in a standoff with Democrats about her claim that the agency cannot supervise institutions under the Military Lending Act.

The Money Anxiety Index, a measure of consumer saving and spending habits, has started rising off a 50-year low. The economist who created it says that means another slump is nearing, and that banks should use the intel in pricing deposits and making other decisions.

The surge in originations during the first quarter more than offset a decline in demand for new leases.