BankThink

Noninterest expenses fell 2% to $10.5 billion — almost $100 million lower than the average estimate from analysts.

Lenders have reduced their holdings of foreclosed one- to four-unit family residences to roughly $2.6 billion of homes, down from more than $14 billion in 2010. Economists expect the trend to continue, but there are red flags to keep an eye on.

The Trump administration is growing wary of taking bold steps toward freeing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from federal control before the 2020 election, said people familiar with the matter, in part because of the political risk of potentially upending the U.S. mortgage market.

Citi’s chief lending officer to take over HSBC’s U.S. business; Pittsburgh banks brace for incursion of industry heavyweights; borrowing by nonbank leveraged lenders is growing (maybe too much); and more from this week’s most-read stories.

Credit quality and loan growth are also topics of interest, but industry observers say the second quarter could separate the haves from have-nots when it comes to low-cost funding.