Refinancing has been one of the bright spots in a difficult year for lending, and the industry has concerns that a fee to be imposed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could slow down the business.
With the USPS emerging as an election-year flashpoint, postal banking is an idea that could gain steam. But a number of proposals are out there, and they have wildly varying implications for financial inclusion.
Whether the number of deals for 2020 can come close to last year's record-setting level will come down to one question: Can community banks generate strong enough profits in the second half to justify their independence?
If the U.S. Postal Service can hold talks with big banks, like JPMorgan Chase, about offering financial services in post offices, then it could easily strike up similar conversations with credit unions.
A proposal to expand credit unions’ access to subordinated debt drew plenty of fire from bankers, but there are also concerns the regulation could be problematic for the institutions it aims to help.
