Economic indicators

After rising between 2016 and 2018, the card issuer's charge-off rates are now steady. The trend reflects both the impact of tighter underwriting standards and the continued resilience of U.S. consumers.

The large credit card issuers are becoming more selective about who they are extending credit to and how much they are willing to lend, their CEOs said Tuesday.

The Federal Reserve voted Wednesday to keep the countercyclical capital buffer at its current level of zero, ending some speculation that the board could be looking at a possible increase.

The largest U.S. bank's strong third quarter did not insulate its leaders from being pressed about the downside of pricey investments in technology, whether capital rules make commercial lending growth hard for big banks to achieve, and whether another economic downturn is edging closer.

The Community Bank Sentiment Index, an outgrowth of a yearly survey conducted by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors, is intended to bring attention to market conditions and how they affect small banks' growth prospects.