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The company sold its student loan portfolio, settled its class-action lawsuit regarding card misclassifications, and favorably resolved a long-standing antitrust lawsuit against Visa. What this means: The megadeal will dramatically shake up the payments and banking industries. One of the biggest changes will be to the card network landscape.

High home prices and mortgage rates are keeping many buyers locked out of homeownership, which is a major driver of furniture purchases.

The disappointments came amid WBD facing an enormous debt load resulting from its 2022 merger. Why 鈥淢inecraft鈥� is succeeding: The movie is based on the best-selling video game of all time, meaning it has a larger鈥攁nd more family-friendly鈥攁udience than other video game adaptations.

Recalibrate products for a cautious consumer with low-risk, value-driven products鈥攕uch as high-yield savings accounts, secured credit cards, and flexible personal loans鈥攖o attract depositors and retain wary borrowers.

Newly acquired Gen Zers who eschew such offers would rob issuers of a key way to build loan balances鈥攁nd of the interest income earned on those balances.

Financial education focus: Evolve beyond basic transactions to provide advisory services for major financial decisions like mortgages and loans. This builds a stronger relationship with customers, who may then turn to banks for their big life events and changes.

The strategy: Goldman Sachs is forming a new division, the Capital Solutions Group, to finance mega deals and offer loans to corporate clients, per Reuters. This move aims to increase its share in the lucrative $2 trillion private credit market. How we got here: Nonbanks have dominated the private credit market, as they face fewer regulations in a potentially riskier environment, per Deloitte.

How we got here: While homeownership used to be a key component of achieving financial independence and success, rising housing prices and persistently high mortgage rates have helped to push the average age of first-time homebuyers to a record high of 38鈥攗p three years from July 2023, per CNBC.

The two have also addressed concerns around international acceptance and worked to improve credit card delinquencies to help mitigate concerns around concentrating their riskier debt profiles into a single entity.

Forecasting analyst Andrew Spink highlights one of the most immediate concerns: the US must refinance $9 trillion in debt in the near term. If interest rates aren鈥檛 lowered fast enough, consumer activity could be hit hard鈥攐r worse, a full-blown recession may unfold. Tariffs exacerbate this tension.

Credit card issuers wrote off $46 billion in seriously delinquent loans during the first nine months of 2024, a 50% jump from the same period in 2023, per BankRegData data reported by the Financial Times. The average CouponFollow survey respondent carries about $4,000 in debt, and nearly 40% have more than $5,000.

Growing debt, high interest rates, and recessionary threats could spell trouble despite the positive spending patterns

Flexible lines of credit. Our marketing take: The uncertainty gives FIs an opportunity to become a trusted voice on social media by offering thoughtful advice. For example, the Bank of England uses TikTok to discuss financial topics such as interest rates. This approach can help FIs build brand awareness and convert viewers by connecting their advice to relevant proprietary tools.

An aversion to risk and debt has narrowed down their choice of banking products and led them to adopt unconventional money-management tactics.

BNPL players are reimagining how consumers access lines of credit鈥攚hile also seeking elusive profits

The news: Affirm partnered with FIS to bring installment loans to FIS鈥� bank partners, per a press release. FIS鈥檚 banking clients can integrate Affirm鈥檚 buy now, pay later (BNPL) solution directly into their existing debit card programs. Cardholders will then be able to convert transactions into installments from within their digital banking and mobile app platforms.

Analyst insight: A key concern is the $9 trillion in US debt that must be refinanced within six months, notes senior forecasting analyst Andrew Spink. That鈥檚 a challenge that could either burden taxpayers or force the government to push the economy into a recession to lower interest rates.

They鈥檙e getting hit harder with late fees and are relying on debt to pay for necessities.

Consumers spend cautiously as inflation perceptions, higher debt payments hurt confidence: But we expect retail sales growth to be healthy as buying power recovers.

And as prices stretch budgets, consumers could trade down to debit cards to avoid overspending and racking up debt. Tariff鈥檚 effect on essentials like groceries and gas means budget-stretched consumers who do keep paying with credit may exacerbate already elevated delinquency levels. What they鈥檙e saying: Credit card issuers remain positive that they can withstand any tariff headwinds.

According to Fintel Connect, affiliates believe the biggest growth opportunities lie in deposit-generating products in the US and in debt-related products in Canada. We agree, because:. US Gen Zers鈥� top financial priority is saving. Canadian banks鈥攍ike those in the US鈥攁re still grappling with loan losses caused by high levels of defaults from customers paying back their debt.

After facing regulatory scrutiny for some major missteps, it plans to focus on other areas of business鈥攁nd that鈥檚 one less lender in the shrinking student loan market.

They鈥檙e becoming delinquent on auto loans and credit card payments at a faster rate than older generations, raising questions about what鈥檚 normal and what鈥檚 troubling.

Student loan payment resumption could shock unprepared borrowers: But it鈥檚 an opportunity for financial institutions to do some proactive outreach and strengthen their customer relationships.

$5 billion in student debt forgiveness will impact more than 70,000 borrowers, opening up an opportunity for advising them on new financial strategies.