Today's Banking Pulse
Mortgage refinance demand falls 18% as rates climb to 6.65%
Refinance applications dropped 18% week-over-week, with the average 30-year fixed rate rising to 6.65%, the highest since August 2025. Refinance filings now represent just 38% of total mortgage applications, the lowest share since June 2025, while purchase‑loan volume edged down 0.4% and average loan size hit $473,600.
Live Oak Bancshares Inc (LOB) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Live Oak Bancshares posted Q2 2025 earnings per share of $0.51, a rise from the prior quarter, supported by a 22% jump in core operating leverage and lower provision expenses. Revenue grew 10% quarter‑over‑quarter and 20% year‑over‑year, driven by net interest income expansion and $322 million of guaranteed loan sales at a 7% premium. The bank recorded a record $1.5 billion in loan originations, 9% sequential growth, while deposits rose 6% and noninterest‑bearing checking balances surged 36% year‑to‑date. Management highlighted AI‑driven process improvements and deeper loan‑deposit relationships as sustainable profit engines.
First Community Corp (South Carolina) (FCCO) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
United Community Banks reported $84 million net income and $0.69 EPS for Q1 2026, driven by 4.5% annualized loan growth and a three‑basis‑point rise in net interest margin to 3.65%. Deposits rose 4% as funding costs fell, while credit quality remained strong....
Old Second Bancorp Inc (OSBC) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Old Second Bancorp reported Q1 2026 net income of $31.3 million, or $2.53 per share, while noting a $3.4 million interest‑income reversal that pulled net interest margin down to 3.57%. The bank reduced exposure to a troubled nine‑loan relationship by...
Origin Bancorp Inc (OBK) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Origin Bancorp posted a Q1 2026 run‑rate ROA of 1.19%, beating its 1% target, while net interest income rose 10.2% year‑over‑year. Loan originations jumped $500 million, a 37% increase, and noninterest expense fell 0.7% thanks to cost‑control measures. The Optimize Origin...
BankUnited Inc (BKU) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
BankUnited reported Q1 2026 net income of $69.3 million, or $0.90 per share, which would have been $0.94 without a one‑time software write‑down. Pre‑provision net revenue rose 14% year‑over‑year to $115 million and the net interest margin edged up to 3.06%. Core...
Bankwell Financial Group Inc (BWFG) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Bankwell Financial Group posted Q1 2026 GAAP net income of $9.1 million, or $1.15 per share, boosted by a one‑time tax adjustment. Net interest income rose to $26.9 million as deposit costs fell, while non‑interest income jumped 35% to $3.4...
Banner Corp (BANR) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Banner Corp posted Q1 2026 net profit of $45.5 million, or $1.31 per diluted share, up from the prior year and quarter, and pretax pre‑provision core earnings of $62 million. Core operating revenue increased to $163 million and loan outstandings grew 9% annualized,...
Fulton Financial Corp (FULT) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Fulton Financial Corp posted a record operating earnings per share of $2.16 for 2025, driven by strong deposit growth and diversified noninterest income. Customer deposits rose $449 million, buoyed by a 25% surge in consumer demand‑deposit openings, while noninterest income reached...
First Merchants Corp (FRME) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
First Merchants Corp reported record 2025 results, posting $19 billion in assets, $13.8 billion in loans and $15.3 billion in deposits. Net income hit $224.1 million and diluted EPS rose 13.8% to $3.88, while the efficiency ratio improved to 54.5% indicating strong operating leverage....
Colony Bankcorp Inc (CBAN) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Colony Bankcorp reported a strong Q1 2026 performance, highlighted by a 15‑basis‑point lift in net interest margin to 3.32% and a $675,000 rise in operating net income. The recent TC Federal merger boosted net interest income by $3.2 million and helped...
Univest Financial Corp (UVSP) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Univest Financial Corp reported first‑quarter 2026 earnings of $22.4 million net income, or $0.77 per share, while net interest margin rose to 3.09% from 2.88%. Deposit balances fell $100.8 million due to seasonal public‑fund outflows, and net loan growth was modest at...
Enterprise Financial Services Corp (EFSC) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Enterprise Financial Services Corp reported diluted EPS of $1.45 for Q1 2026, up from $1.19 sequentially and $1.28 year‑over‑year. Net interest income rose to $168 million and net interest margin improved to 4.26%, driven by a recent branch acquisition that also added...
Who Is Kaushal Sheth?
Kaushan Sheth, a three‑decade veteran of banking technology, co‑founded Sophos Solutions, which was later acquired by GFT Technologies where he now serves as chief technology officer. At GFT he leads efforts to embed agentic artificial intelligence into core financial infrastructure,...
US Senators Grill New Fed Chair
The episode examines the Senate hearing of President Trump’s nominee, Kevin Warsh, for Federal Reserve chair, focusing on concerns about his independence, wealth, and proposed reforms to Fed policy and communication. Senators probe Warsh on his relationship with Trump, his...
Morningstar DBRS Assigns Credit Rating to the Mortgage Loan Made to Chapel Hills East LLC
Morningstar DBRS assigned a BBB (high) rating with a Stable trend to the $18.5 million, 5.95% interest‑only mortgage loan due 2034 on Chapel Hills East LLC. The loan is secured by a 224,733‑sq‑ft, fully‑leased community shopping center in Colorado Springs, anchored...
Lenders Signing up to “Fully Digital Homebuying Service”
Lloyds Banking Group has teamed with estate‑agent giant Connells Group and conveyancing platform LMS to roll out the UK’s first fully digital home‑buying service. The solution, built on the Moverly proptech platform and Armalytix’s source‑of‑funds checks, lets sellers and mortgage‑approved...
What Is an Interest Rate Cap & How Does It Work?
An interest‑rate cap sets the maximum rate a borrower or bond issuer can pay on a variable‑rate product, shielding borrowers from steep rate hikes. Adjustable‑rate mortgages (ARMs) typically embed caps—often a 5/2/5 structure—that limit annual and lifetime increases. Floating‑rate bonds...
SEC Monitoring 'Emerging Pressures' In Private Credit Space
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is intensifying oversight of the private‑credit market as redemption requests rise and default‑rate projections climb. Chairman Paul Atkins warned that opacity, valuation and credit‑quality issues could threaten investors, citing the roughly $1.8 trillion of assets...
Unpatched AI Flaw Poses Risk to Banking Sector
Security firm OX Security uncovered a critical flaw in Anthropic's Model Context Protocol (MCP) that lets AI agents execute arbitrary host‑machine commands via the default "stdio" setup. Anthropic has declined to patch the underlying code, placing the onus on developers—particularly...
![[Targeted] Chase Business Checking: $50 Bonus For Making 15 Zelle Transactions Of $5+ Each](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://www.doctorofcredit.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/chase123.webp)
[Targeted] Chase Business Checking: $50 Bonus For Making 15 Zelle Transactions Of $5+ Each
Chase is rolling out a $50 incentive for business checking customers who complete at least 15 Zelle payments of $5 or more by July 16, 2026. The promotion was announced via email and mirrors a prior Bill Pay bonus that rewarded users for...
Prepare for Agentic AI: When Agents Talk to Agents
The question isn't if you'll use Agentic AI—it’s how you’ll handle it when your customers’ AI agents start talking to your AI agents. 🤖💬 91% of leaders are already seeing AI-driven crime. The "manual" era is over. Join @twifintech x @Alloy on...
Maine Introduces Bill to 'Effectively Ban' HEI Contracts
Governor Janet Mills signed LD 1901, reclassifying home‑equity investment (HEI) contracts as residential mortgage loans in Maine. The law imposes mandatory consumer counseling, independent legal counsel, detailed cost disclosures, and liability on secondary‑market investors, aligning HEIs with the state’s Consumer...
Capital One Sees Opportunities. Investors Want Guidance.
Capital One reported Q1 2026 earnings with net income rising 2% to $2.2 billion despite a 2% drop in revenue to $15.2 billion, missing EPS consensus. The bank completed the migration of its debit‑card customers to the Discover network, finalizing the $51.8 billion...
Credit Card Issuer Mission Lane Applies for Bank Charter
Mission Lane, a credit‑card fintech, has filed an application with the OCC for a limited‑purpose CEBA credit‑card bank charter and FDIC deposit insurance. The move marks the first CEBA credit‑card bank charter request in roughly twenty years, targeting an estimated...
Fed's Waller Calls for Consolidating Regional Bank Operations
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller urged the consolidation of corporate functions—IT, human resources, finance and procurement—across the 12 regional banks into a single, centrally managed structure. He proposes creating a new oversight role reporting to the Board of Governors to...
Goodbye, LendingClub. Digital Bank Rebrands as Happen Bank
LendingClub announced it will rebrand as Happen Bank, a move that places the word “bank” front and center in its identity. The change, slated for rollout this summer, follows the 2021 acquisition of Radius Bank that gave the firm a national...
United Community Banks to Acquire Peach State Bancshares in $100.8 Million Deal
United Community Banks, Inc. announced a definitive merger agreement to acquire Peach State Bancshares for an aggregate $100.8 million. Shareholders can choose cash at $31.75 per share or United stock, and the transaction is expected to add $0.09‑$0.12 to United’s 2027...
Goldman Sachs Q1 Beat Meets Stock Dip as Investors Question Peak Cycle
Goldman Sachs reported its second‑highest quarterly earnings ever, with EPS of $17.55 and revenue of $17.2 billion, yet the stock fell 3.06% in pre‑market trading. Analysts say the decline reflects market worries that the current performance may represent a cyclical high...
IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings Reveal Debt Stress as China Demands Quota Reform
The IMF and World Bank’s April 13‑18 spring sessions underscored soaring debt distress across emerging economies and a $20‑$50 billion loan demand, while China’s central bank chief called for IMF quota reform and tighter oversight of advanced economies. The dual pressure...
Producers Bank & Trust Opens Fifth Branch in Little Rock on May 1
Producers Bank & Trust will open its fifth branch, a full‑service office at 11300 Cantrell Road in Little Rock, on May 1. The move adds three drive‑thru lanes, an all‑hours ATM and a suite of banking and trust services, signaling the...
Thunes Launches Real‑time NZD Payments, Expanding Direct Global Network in New Zealand
Thunes has rolled out real‑time NZD payments to New Zealand, allowing members of its Direct Global Network to move money instantly to local bank accounts. The move deepens the Singapore‑based fintech’s Asia‑Pacific footprint as the region’s digital‑trade volume is projected to...
Why U.S. Listings Are Vital to Wise and Revolut
London‑based fintechs Wise and Revolut are positioning U.S. stock listings as central to their expansion strategies. Wise will list on Nasdaq on May 11, shifting its primary listing from London, while Revolut is targeting a U.S. or dual IPO by 2028...
Private Credit Drowning in Bad AI‑Focused Loans
FT summing up a recent Sona report: "Private credit is full of cruddy loans issued by companies that couldn’t get financed anywhere else, and assembled haphazardly into rattlebags, rather than carefully constructed portfolios, by dealmakers (cosplaying as managers) who get...
Capital One Quicksilver Moves To Discover Network, Get 3% Cashback On Gas & Grocery, 1.5% Everywhere
Capital One announced that its Quicksilver credit card will migrate from the Mastercard to the Discover network. The change adds a new 3% cash‑back category for gas and grocery purchases while keeping the existing 1.5% cash back on all other...
AI Triggers Mortgage Rate Cycle: Unemployment, Inflation, Then Recovery
Pondering how AI might affect mortgage rates. My thought is it leads to higher unemployment initially, which typically results in lower rates. But it's "structural," so Fed lowering rates won't lead to more hiring if people aren't skilled. Rates are mostly...
Executive Interview Series: Tony Catalfano, Fintech Executive | Former CEO, Worldpay US | Founding Chairman, ATPC
Tony Catalfano, former Worldpay U.S. CEO and ATPC founder, discusses the next wave of payments disruption in TSG’s Executive Interview Series. He emphasizes that true disruption now mirrors the “Amazon experience,” where payments disappear into seamless, real‑time workflows powered by...
Tweak Sought in Capital Norms for Urban Co-Operative Bank Licence
The Reserve Bank of India is reviewing proposals to lower the minimum capital requirement for urban co‑operative bank (UCB) licences from the previously suggested ₹300 crore (≈$36 M) to ₹200 crore (≈$24 M). It is also considering allowing financially sound co‑operative societies with at...
AI Forces Firms to Rethink Build‑vs‑buy Decisions
One of the more interesting comments from a recent roundtable: A large financial institution is re-evaluating build vs buy across their entire stack because of AI assisted development. Including major SaaS platforms. Are you rethinking this right now? Does AI truly change...
95% of Financial Firms Struggle to Build Effective AI
From FICO, not MIT: Nearly 95% of organizations are having a difficult time developing AI systems that serve the needs they were designed to address. The study is based on 254 C-suite leaders in financial enterprises around the world. via...
Commercial Brokers Slam 'Almost Comical' Changes to SBA Lending
The U.S. Small Business Administration announced that, effective March 1, only 100% U.S. citizen or national owners can qualify for SBA 7(a) and 504 loans, barring green‑card holders. In 2025, lawful permanent residents received just 4% of the agency’s 85,000 loans, roughly...
Branches Remain Essential Where Trust and Community Matter
The argument against branches is clear. They are expensive. Digital competitors do not carry that cost. But what happens in markets where branches are still central to trust, community presence, and complex financial decisions? Watch the full episode now: https://t.co/Lg9jRpKff4...
Couple Sues Bank of New York Mellon, NewRez to Halt Georgia Foreclosure
A Georgia couple filed a lawsuit on April 20 accusing Bank of New York Mellon, acting as trustee for a mortgage‑backed trust, and servicer NewRez (Shellpoint) of proceeding with a May 5 foreclosure despite a pending hardship application. The homeowners claim the...
Mr. Cooper Faces Class Action Claiming Inflated Mortgage Prepayment Penalties
Mr. Cooper, a leading U.S. mortgage servicer with a $1.5 trillion unpaid principal balance and over six million customers, faces a proposed class action alleging it misapplied prepayment penalties. The lawsuit centers on the ambiguous term “anniversary date” in a borrower’s...
US Banks' Unrealized Losses Halve to $306 B
Rephrased: US banks are facing unrealized losses of $300B, down from $700B in 2023. For context, those US banks have around $25,000B in assets and $2,600B in equity capital.
Follow Dan
This is along the lines of what @DanAwrey has recommended, rather than relying on OCC Trust charters and skinny Fed master accounts. https://t.co/2MP5UWLpHM
First Closing of Principal Discount Tool Gives Banks, CUs a Lock-In Exit
Takara’s Discount for Real Estate Affordability and Mobility (DREAM) completed its first closing, giving a Chicago couple a $41,000 principal discount on their mortgage. The discount is funded by Treasury securities held in a trust, allowing the lender to receive...
Penalizing Private Firms for “Debanking” Is Just a Fad
Wanting the government to penalize private businesses for rejecting certain customers (aka being worried about "debanking") is itself a fad
Banks Must Balance Digital Speed with Human Service
The key for banks is finding the right balance between digital convenience and the human touch. https://t.co/62qDI7uerN
Visa and TikTok Unveil Debit Card for Social Commerce Payouts
Visa and TikTok have introduced a UK‑first “creator card,” a Visa‑issued debit card that lets TikTok Live creators instantly convert virtual gifts into cash. The card is paired with a dedicated business account, helping creators keep personal and business finances...
Newmark Secures $830 Million Financing for 36‑Asset Manufactured‑Housing Portfolio
Newmark Group arranged an $830 million portfolio loan for RHP Properties and an institutional capital partner to acquire and refinance a 36‑asset manufactured‑housing portfolio. The financing, provided by Wells Fargo, covers 8,340 housing pads with occupancy above 99%, highlighting the sector’s...