Penalties and fines

The bank revealed Friday that it is facing hefty regulatory penalties and will likely have to restate first-quarter earnings. Declines in loan balances and fee income and questions about upcoming stress tests are only adding to investors' worries.

The subprime auto lender paid $2.9 million to Connecticut consumers and a $100,000 fine for miscalculating balances owed on repossessed cars and for charging improper fees. It says the settlement is part of an effort to clean up "legacy issues."

In a strongly worded memo to staff of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Tuesday, acting Director Mick Mulvaney indicated the bureau will value the concerns of companies it regulates to the same extent as consumers.

The payments resolve a number of cases that date back to 2011 and were among the largest coordinated U.S. enforcement efforts in the years following the crisis.

The president wrote Friday on Twitter that penalties against the San Francisco bank will be maintained, or possibly strengthened. The comments are likely to fuel a growing controversy about the independence of federal financial regulators.