Legal News

US bankruptcy case counts expected to continue climbing in 2024: Report

US bankruptcy filings rose 18% in 2023 due to higher interest rates, tougher lending standards, and the continued end of pandemic-era support measures, according to data from bankruptcy data provider Epiq AACER. The report said commercial Chapter 11 business reorganisation filings increased…

Fed gave no indication of possible rate cuts at last meeting, minutes show

Federal Reserve officials at their most recent meeting expressed little appetite for cutting interest rates anytime soon, particularly as inflation remains well above their goal, according to minutes released Tuesday.  The summary of the meeting, held Oct. 31-Nov. 1, showed that…

Credit Card Delinquencies Continue to Rise—Who Is Missing Payments?

This morning, the New York Fed’s Center for Microeconomic Data released the 2023:Q3 Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit. After only moderate growth in the second quarter, total household debt balances grew $228 billion in the third quarter across all types, especially credit…

Mortgage rates just hit 8%—should you still buy a home?

With average rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages hitting 8% on Wednesday, you might be thinking twice about buying a home, even if you can afford one. But if you’re trying to decide between buying now or waiting, remember that there’s no…

‘The bond vigilante is coming back,’ UBS strategist says

The bond vigilantes are coming back as investors continue to sell amid the prospect of higher-for-longer interest rates and a growing fiscal deficit, according to Kevin Zhao, head of global sovereign and currency at UBS Asset Management. The yield on…

CFPB Reacts Quickly and Favorably to Petition Submitted to it by Consumer Groups to Ban Pre-dispute Arbitration

Last week, a group of consumer advocate organizations filed a Petition for Rulemaking with the CFPB that would prohibit the use of pre-dispute arbitration clauses in consumer contracts in favor of arbitration clauses that would permit consumers to choose between arbitration and…

Democratic US senators urge more funding to avoid public defender layoffs

Oct 6 (Reuters) – Twenty-three Democratic U.S. senators on Friday urged congressional appropriators to increase spending on federal public defenders beyond what is proposed in pending spending legislation or risk significant job cuts. In a letter to the leaders of the U.S.…

Treasury Announces Marketable Borrowing Estimates

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of the Treasury today announced its current estimates of privately-held net marketable borrowing[1]for the July – September 2023 and October – December 2023 quarters. During the July – September 2023 quarter, Treasury expects to borrow $1.007…

US private funds industry sues securities regulator over new rules

NEW YORK, Sept 1 (Reuters) – Six private equity and hedge fund trade groups on Friday sued the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), arguing the agency overstepped its statutory authority when adopting sweeping new expense and disclosure rules last week.…

Mortgage Delinquency Rate Reaches Historic Low in May

CoreLogic report attributes healthy mortgage performance to strong job market. A new report from CoreLogic found the overall delinquency rate for U.S. mortgages dropped to a record low of 2.6%, down from 2.7% in May 2022 and 2.8% in April…