Newsbytes | ABA Banking Journal https://bankingjournal.aba.com/category/newsbytes/ Fri, 14 Aug 2026 19:56:53 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.10 Preliminary: Consumer sentiment fell in August https://bankingjournal.aba.com/2026/08/preliminary-consumer-sentiment-fell-in-august/ Fri, 14 Aug 2026 19:56:53 +0000 https://bankingjournal.aba.com/?p=67185 The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index decreased 7.6% in August compared to the month prior, landing at 51, according to preliminary results for the month.

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]]> State attorneys general express support for ATM crime bill https://bankingjournal.aba.com/2026/08/state-attorneys-general-express-support-for-atm-crime-bill/ Fri, 14 Aug 2026 19:40:53 +0000 https://bankingjournal.aba.com/?p=67183 Fifteen state attorneys general urged Congress to pass legislation ensuring that robberies of off-site ATMs carry the same legal consequences as bank robberies. ABA also supports the bill.

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]]> ABA urges federal regulation of AI, level playing field for financial services https://bankingjournal.aba.com/2026/08/aba-urges-federal-regulation-of-ai-level-playing-field-for-financial-services/ Fri, 14 Aug 2026 18:47:07 +0000 https://bankingjournal.aba.com/?p=67181 Congress should establish a nationally harmonized, risk-based framework for regulating artificial intelligence in the financial services sector, which would preempt state laws while assuring strong consumer protection and cybersecurity outcomes, ABA told House Financial Services Committee members.

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]]> ABA DataBank: Consumers tap home equity as housing values rise https://bankingjournal.aba.com/2026/08/aba-databank-consumers-tap-home-equity-as-housing-values-rise/ Fri, 14 Aug 2026 18:41:52 +0000 https://bankingjournal.aba.com/?p=67179 Total home equity lines of credit (HELOC) reached $446 billion in Q1 2026, up 35.3% since hitting a trough in Q1 2022.

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]]> CFPB ends publication of consumer complaint narratives https://bankingjournal.aba.com/2026/08/cfpb-ends-publication-of-consumer-complaint-narratives/ Fri, 14 Aug 2026 18:32:10 +0000 https://bankingjournal.aba.com/?p=67177 The CFPB will cease publication of unverified complaint narratives and visualizations, arguing the utility of publicizing narratives is minimal “while often causing confusion and providing misleading data.”

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]]> OCC releases 2026 update to Bank Accounting Advisory Series https://bankingjournal.aba.com/2026/08/occ-releases-2026-update-to-bank-accounting-advisory-series/ Fri, 14 Aug 2026 15:02:30 +0000 https://bankingjournal.aba.com/?p=67174 The BAAS contains OCC staff responses to frequently asked questions from the banking industry and bank examiners on a variety of accounting topics.

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]]> Survey finds most consumers want to maintain bank branch access https://bankingjournal.aba.com/2026/08/survey-finds-most-consumers-want-to-maintain-bank-branch-access/ Fri, 14 Aug 2026 14:54:27 +0000 https://bankingjournal.aba.com/?p=67172 U.S. consumers want digital banking convenience but also want to maintain access to bank branches and people for complex issues and personalized financial guidance, according to a new survey by Santander.

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]]> ABA cautions against allowing state regulation that could expand stablecoin issuer activities https://bankingjournal.aba.com/2026/08/aba-cautions-against-allowing-state-regulation-that-could-expand-stablecoin-issuer-activities/ Thu, 13 Aug 2026 20:10:33 +0000 https://bankingjournal.aba.com/?p=67160 As it seeks to implement the Genius Act, the Treasury Department should not allow states to greatly expand the scope of services offered by payment stablecoin issuers beyond what is spelled out in the law, ABA said.

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]]> FinCEN: Financial institutions flagged nearly $5B linked to suspected human smuggling https://bankingjournal.aba.com/2026/08/fincen-financial-institutions-flagged-nearly-5b-linked-to-suspected-human-smuggling/ Thu, 13 Aug 2026 19:50:10 +0000 https://bankingjournal.aba.com/?p=67156 While depository institutions filed only 3% of BSA reports on possible human smuggling, their reports accounted for approximately 61%, or $3 billion, of the total amount.

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]]> Mortgage rates tick down https://bankingjournal.aba.com/2026/08/mortgage-rates-tick-down-4/ Thu, 13 Aug 2026 18:26:34 +0000 https://bankingjournal.aba.com/?p=67154 The rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 6.67% this week. The rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage was 5.96%.

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