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The Nasdaq logo is displayed at the Nasdaq Market site in Times Square in New York City, U.S., December 3, 2021. U.S. home builder confidence weakened in August, as mortgage rates and stubbornly high housing prices discouraged prospective buyers. Better enjoyed huge growth during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic when mortgage rates cratered, notching more than $850 million in revenue in 2020, filings show. When interest rates fall, Better expects huge demand for cash-out refinancings, which it says it will be able to deliver in one day. Earlier this year, Better.com launched a one-day mortgage product, allowing customers to get pre-approved, lock in a rate and get a mortgage commitment letter within 24 hours.

Persons: Vishal Garg, Garg, Better.com, Hannah Lang, Michelle Price, Mark Potter Organizations: Nasdaq, REUTERS, Federal, refinancings, Aurora Acquisition Corp, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Better, Zoom, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, SoftBank, Aurora, Washington

☆ US SEC readies vote on regulatory overhaul for private funds
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The seal of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is seen at their headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 12, 2021. At the time it was proposed, SEC Chair Gary Gensler said the changes would benefit investors in such funds, typically wealthy individuals and institutional investors like pension funds, and companies raising capital from them. "Private fund advisers, through the funds they manage, touch so much of our economy. Private funds reported holding $20.4 trillion in gross assets by the end of 2022, versus $8 trillion about a decade earlier, according to data available on the SEC's website. "We don't see that the SEC is solving anything with this," said Jack Inglis, CEO of the Alternative Investment Management Association.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Gary Gensler, Sherrod Brown, Elizabeth Warren, Jennifer Han, Jack Inglis, Chris Prentice, Douglas Gillison, Michelle Price, Nick Zieminski Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Washington , D.C, REUTERS, Exchange, Fund, SEC, Democratic, Industry, Citadel LLC, Association, Alternative Investment Management Association, Carolina, Thomson Locations: Washington ,, New York, Washington

The private fund industry manages $20 trillion in assets. They would also require funds to perform annual audits. "Private fund advisers, through the funds they manage, touch so much of our economy," he said at the time. The rule would require fund managers to disclose so-called "side letters" - an industry practice through which funds can offer some investors special terms - when they are financially material. Earlier, the proposed rules would require investors and private funds to re-write all their contracts.

Persons: Jim Bourg, Exchange Commission's, Gary Gensler, Andreesen Horowitz, Michelle Price, Nick Zieminski, Mark Porter Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, REUTERS, Securities, Exchange, Citadel, Industry, Association, Alternative Investment Management Association, Thomson Locations: Washington, U.S

REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Aug 21 (Reuters) - PayPal's (PYPL.O) stablecoin is likely to succeed where Facebook's failed, thanks to the payment giant's standing in Washington and policymakers' greater understanding of the issues in the last three years. "From a policy perspective, there is a seismic difference between Facebook's Libra and PayPal's stablecoin," said Isaac Boltansky, director of policy research for brokerage BTIG. Dan Dolev, a senior analyst at Mizuho, said PayPal USD is not a game-changer for PayPal investors. When Facebook unveiled Libra, a stablecoin whose operations were based in Switzerland and which was pegged to a basket of currencies, executives made no secret of their ambitions. Facebook rebranded Libra, scaled it back and moved the project to the United States, in a bid to win U.S. regulatory approval.

Persons: Fabrizio Bensch, stablecoin, Facebook's, Christopher Giancarlo, PayPal's, Isaac Boltansky, Dan Schulman, Dan Dolev, Maxine Waters, Joe Biden's, Janet Yellen, Yellen, TerraUSD, stablecoins, There's, Jack Fletcher, Patrick McHenry, Hannah Lang, Andrea Shalal, Pete Schroeder, Niket, Michelle Price, Matthew Lewis Organizations: PayPal, REUTERS, Rights, U.S ., Facebook, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Federal Reserve, Meta, Paxos Trust, New York State Department of Financial Services, Mizuho, Financial Services, Treasury, Congress, prudential, Republican, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Washington, U.S, Switzerland, United States, transact, stablecoins, Bengaluru

☆ U.S. SEC says will continue to carefully review China IPO prospectuses
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The seal of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is seen at their headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 12, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Aug 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. securities regulator will continue to carefully review issuer filings, it said on Wednesday in response to a Reuters report that Chinese offshore issuers are toning down China-related business risks in their listing documents. "Our staff will continue its long-standing practice of carefully reviewing issuer filings and commenting to the issuer when appropriate." China's securities regulator last month asked domestic law firms to refrain from including negative descriptions of China's policies or its business and legal environment in initial public offering prospectuses, Reuters previously reported. China law firms are now scrambling to comply with that guidance.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Marco Rubio, Gary Gensler, Michelle Price Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Washington , D.C, REUTERS, Rights, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Reuters, Foreign Relations, Thomson Locations: Washington ,, U.S, China

A continued rally in stocks forced many hedge funds to unwind their bets against equities last month. US BOND MARKET LIQUIDITYBridgewater actively bets on the direction of various types of securities — including stocks, bonds, commodities and currencies — by predicting macroeconomic trends. He said that liquidity in the U.S. government bond market was getting worse, as the Treasury increases bond issuance. Bridgewater's Pure Alpha 12% volatility fund gained 2.5% in the year through Aug. 11, a third source familiar with the matter said, while the Defensive Alpha fund, less dependent on equities, rose 2.1%. Since it was launched in 1991, Pure Alpha 12% has generated 7.7% net total returns annually, according to the same source.

Persons: Ray Dalio, Greg Jensen, Bridgewater's, Nell Mackenzie, Ira Iosebashvili, Michelle Price, Emelia Organizations: U.S ., Singapore, Bridgewater Associates, Reuters, Nasdaq, Treasury, Alpha, Hedge Fund Research, Thomson Locations: Bridgewater, U.S, London, Carolina, New York

☆ Hawaiian Electric shares plunge further as S&P downgrades utility to junk
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Caroline Valetkevitch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Jorge Garcia/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Shares of Hawaiian Electric Industries (HE.N) were down 20.3% in afternoon trading Tuesday, extending this week's sharp losses, as S&P downgraded the credit rating on the electric utility to junk status in the wake of wildfires in Maui. Hawaiian Electric did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the downgrade. He added that Hawaiian Electric does not have a formal shut-off program and precautionary shut-offs have to be arranged with first responders, CNN reported. Also on Tuesday, brokerage Guggenheim cut its price target on the company's stock to $18 from $32. Wells Fargo and Morningstar cut their price targets for Hawaiian Electric on Monday.

Persons: Jorge Garcia, Jim Kelly, Guggenheim, Morningstar, Caroline Valetkevitch, Medha Singh, Michelle Price, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: REUTERS, Hawaiian Electric Industries, Hawaiian, Electric, National Weather Service, Hawaiian Electric, CNN, Reuters, Guggenheim, Thomson Locations: Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, U.S, Wells

☆ Hawaiian Electric Industries shares plunge amid deadly Maui wildfire scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Hawaiian Electric was last trading down 35% at $20.90. Hawaiian Electric did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. Hawaiian Electric Vice President Jim Kelly told CNN Sunday that the company does not comment on pending litigation. He added that Hawaiian Electric does not have a formal shut-off program and precautionary shut-offs have to be arranged with first responders, CNN reported. Morningstar strategist Andrew Bischof said he was lowering his fair value estimate for Hawaiian Electric Industries to $23 per share from $34 due to the reports.

Persons: Mike Blake, Thomas Hayes, Jim Kelly, ” Kelly, Wells, Morningstar, Andrew Bischof, Wells Fargo, Shreyashi Sanyal, Clark Mindock, Shristi, Brendan O'Brien, Michelle Price, Lisa Shumaker, Alexia Garamfalvi Organizations: REUTERS, Hawaiian Electric Industries, Electric, Great, Washington Post, Maui Electric, National Weather Service, Hawaiian Electric, CNN Sunday, CNN, Morningstar, Thomson Locations: Kula, Maui, Hawaii, U.S, Lahaina, Great Hill, New York, Bengaluru, Chibuike

☆ Hawaiian Electric Industries shares plunge 40% amid deadly Maui wildfire scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Hawaiian Electric Industries did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A Washington Post report over the weekend raised questions over whether Hawaiian Electric, which owns utility Maui Electric, did not take sufficient safety measures amid warnings days before the fires broke out that wind gusts would trigger dangerous fire conditions. A class action lawsuit has also been filed against Hawaiian Electric claiming a downed power line on Maui caused the fire, NBC news and other outlets reported. The scrutiny caused Wells Fargo (WFC.N) and Morningstar to cut their price targets for Hawaiian Electric. Morningstar strategist Andrew Bischof said he was lowering his fair value estimate for Hawaiian Electric Industries to $23 per share from $34 due to the reports.

Persons: Mike Blake, Wells, Morningstar, Andrew Bischof, Wells Fargo, Shreyashi Sanyal, Michelle Price, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: REUTERS, Hawaiian Electric Industries, Washington Post, Maui Electric, Hawaiian Electric, NBC, Reuters, Morningstar, Thomson Locations: Kula, Maui, Hawaii, U.S, Lahaina, Bengaluru

☆ US investors flag retaliation risks after Biden's China tech curbs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But several portfolio managers said the bigger worry was whether China would strike back, as it has in the past. "It is naïve to think that there won't be some type of retaliation from China," said Tom Plumb, CEO of mutual fund Plumb Funds. China could restrict exports of rare earths used in consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and other components, or target other U.S. technology companies, Plumb said. SELF-SUFFICIENCYChina hawks in Washington say American investors have transferred capital and valuable know-how to Chinese technology companies that could help advance Beijing's military capabilities. Phillip Wool, a co-portfolio manager of Rayliant Quantamental China Equity ETF, said U.S.-China tensions were causing investors to miss out on China growth.

Persons: Florence Lo, Joe Biden's, Biden, Rick Meckler, Tom Plumb, Plumb, Michael Ashley Schulman, Phillip Wool, Shashwat Chauhan, Amruta, Chibuike Oguh, Laura Matthews, Herbert Lash, Davide Barbuscia, Michelle Price, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, Cherry Lane Investments, China Exchange, Wall, Micron Technology, U.S, Funds, Reuters, Running, Capital Advisors, China Equity, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Beijing, New Jersey, Washington, Rayliant

The long-awaited rule is expected to require that real estate professionals such as title insurers report the identities of the beneficial owners of companies buying real estate in cash to the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Criminals have for decades anonymously hidden ill-gotten gains in real estate, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in March, adding that as much as $2.3 billion was laundered through U.S. real estate between 2015 and 2020. That debate has slowed down FinCEN's work on the real estate reporting rule, one of the sources said. PATCHWORKWhile banks have long been required to understand the source of customer funds and report suspicious transactions, no such rules exist nationwide for the real estate industry. FinCEN implemented GTOs in 2016 after the New York Times revealed that nearly half of luxury real estate was bought by anonymous shell companies.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Erica Hanichak, FinCEN, Jodi Vittori, Guo Wengui, Guo, Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, Howard, David Szakonyi, Luc Cohen, Chris Prentice, Amy Stevens, Michelle Price, Matthew Lewis Organizations: U.S . Treasury Department, FACT Coalition, Association, New York Times, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Nardello, Government, Office, George Washington University, New, Thomson Locations: New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Chinese, Jersey, Manhattan

U.S. bank shares dropped on Tuesday after ratings agency Moody's downgraded credit ratings of several U.S. regional lenders and placed some banking giants on review for potential downgrade. It warned lenders will find it harder to make money as interest rates remain high, funding costs climb and a potential recession looms. The warning caught some investors off guard. On Tuesday, SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF's (KRE.P) options-based 30-day implied volatility rose to 31.1%, up from 28.9% touched on Monday. "In the near term, there are reasons for caution about banks in general and we have made changes where appropriate," he said.

Persons: SPDR, Steve Sosnick, There's, David Wagner, David Smith, Brian Mulberry, Michelle Price, Diane Craft Organizations: Moody's Corporation, P Bank, Regional Banking, Silicon Valley Bank, Banking, Interactive, Alert, Aptus Capital, Autonomous Research, Analysts, Zacks Investment Management, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York, U.S, Silicon

☆ US banks' second quarter earnings: the results in charts
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Manya Saini | Thomson Reuters | Manya Saini Reports On Prominent Publicly Listed U.S. Financial Firms Including Wall Street S Biggest Banks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The results follow a tumultuous first quarter in which Silicon Valley Bank and two other lenders failed. Signs of a revival in the investment banking sector, as higher rates and economic uncertainty have hampered deals and trading, also drove share gains. The upbeat results sparked a rally in bank stocks with the S&P 500 Banks Index (.SPXBK) gaining 9.3% and the KBW Regional Banking Index (.KRX) rising 13.7% month-to-date. Here are three charts on mid-sized banks' second-quarter results:DEPOSIT LEVELSReuters GraphicsWhile regional bank earnings in recent days have reassured investors that the crisis has subsided, regional banks are being squeezed as they pay customers more to retain their deposits. The KBW Regional Banking Index (.KRX) has rallied 13.7% month-to-date but remains down 13.6% so far this year.

Persons: Banks, Manya Saini, Michelle Price, Barbara Lewis, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Bank, Banks, Federal, Reuters Graphics, Bank of America, Graphics, Graphics Bank, Thomson Locations: Silicon, KBW, Bengaluru

☆ Factbox: U.S. banks increase reserves for commercial real estate exposure
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Matt Tracy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

While regional banks carry the greatest exposure to the commercial real estate (CRE) sector, second quarter earnings show that a number of big banks have prepared for potential defaults, primarily on office loans. However, Borthwick noted the bank's office CRE exposure was low relative to its overall loan portfolio, at 2%. CRE loans represented just 15% of the bank's overall lending book, while only 1% of the CRE loan portfolio was office-related. WELLS FARGO (WFC.N)The bank said it had a $949 million increase in its allowance for credit losses, primarily CRE office loans. WEBSTER FINANCIAL CORP (WBS.N)The regional bank's nonperforming CRE loans ticked up to $47.9 million last quarter from $35.8 million in the first quarter.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Andrew Kelly, Alastair Borthwick, Borthwick, GOLDMAN SACHS, markdowns, Denis Coleman, Jeremy Barnum, WELLS, Charlie Scharf, Bruce Van Saun, Dominic Ng, East, James Leonard, MORGAN STANLEY, Webster, Glenn MacInnes, John Ciulla, Matt Tracy, Michelle Price, Nick Zieminski Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, U.S, AMERICA CORP, GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC, Goldman, JPMORGAN CHASE &, JPMorgan, Citizens, EAST WEST BANCORP, East, BANCORP, WEBSTER FINANCIAL, Thomson Locations: New York City , New York, U.S, California, CRE

The service will compete with private sector real-time payments systems, including The Clearing House's RTP network, and was initially opposed by big banks who said it was redundant. Unlike peer-to-peer payments services like Venmo or PayPal, which act as intermediaries between banks, payments made via FedNow will settle directly in central bank accounts. The Fed also operates a real-time payments system called FedWire, but that's reserved for large-scale, mostly corporate payments and is only operational during business hours. While the new FedNow system is for everyone, it's likely to benefit consumers and small businesses the most, analysts have said. But Fed officials have downplayed those concerns, arguing that banks have tools available to mitigate a wave of outflows.

Persons: JPMorgan Chase, FedNow, Anu Somani, it's, ”, Carl Slabicki, Lance Noggle, Hannah Lang, Michelle Price, Andrea Ricci Organizations: U.S . Federal, European Union, JPMorgan, Bank of New York Mellon, US Bancorp, RTP, U.S . Bank, PayPal, Fed, Mellon’s Treasury Services, “, Independent Community Bankers of, Thomson Locations: United Kingdom, India, Brazil, FedNow, Independent Community Bankers of America, Silicon, Washington

☆ US consumer watchdog warns no more 'rubber stamp' for bank mergers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Douglas Gillison | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Bank executives, meanwhile, complain that regulators' foot-dragging and uncertainty caused by looming regulatory reforms have depressed merger activity among healthy banks to historic lows. That drew the ire of Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, who helped create the CFPB and backed Chopra for the director role. Chopra called in May for the FDIC to adopt changes to bank merger guidelines. He declined to discuss possible changes but said the approval process was already evolving, citing a review of bank merger guidelines undertaken in 2022. Reporting by Douglas Gillison; Editing by Michelle Price and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rohit Chopra, Banks, Chopra, Janet Yellen, Michael Hsu, JPMorgan Chase, Elizabeth Warren, Douglas Gillison, Michelle Price, Jamie Freed Organizations: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Reuters, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Bank, JPMorgan, Democratic Party, First, FDIC, Bank of America, Thomson Locations: First Republic, Wells Fargo

☆ U.S regional bank shares rise on interest income, deposits stabilizing
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

July 19 (Reuters) - Three major U.S. regional banks met or beat profit expectations on Wednesday as higher interest rates allowed them to charge more for loans, while deposits stabilized, sending shares across the sector up. Investors have been anxiously awaiting regional bank second quarter earnings as they look for reassurance that the turmoil that rocked the sector earlier this year has finally passed. M&T Bank Corporation (MTB.N) and Citizens Financial Group (CFG.N) both beat Wall Street estimates from charging clients higher interest rates after the U.S. Federal Reserve raised borrowing costs to rein in stubborn inflation. The KBW Regional Bank Index (.KRX) and S&P regional bank index (.SPCOMBNKS) were each gaining nearly 2% in line with the broader market. M&T's deposits rose to $162.1 billion from $159.1 billion at the end of the first quarter, but fell about 4.9% year-on-year.

Persons: NII, Dennis Dick, Michelle Price, Manya Saini, Jaiveer Singh Shekhawat, Johann Cherian, Chibuike, Nick Zieminski Organizations: T Bank Corporation, Citizens Financial, Wall, U.S . Federal Reserve, Citizens, US Bancorp, Big, Regional, Zions Bancorp, Truist, Fifth Third Bancorp, Bank, Triple D, Thomson Locations: Big U.S, Silicon, Bengaluru, New York

☆ US bank shares jump on interest income and deals optimism, but outlook mixed
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The bank said it expects full year NII to be up about 8% at about $57 billion. The bank's full year NII outlook remains unchanged at 20% growth, Chief Financial Officer Dermot McDonogh told analysts. Overall, its profit slipped 18% in the second quarter as a fewer deals hurt investment banking revenues. Sluggish deals have been a sore spot across Wall Street with global investment banking activity plunging to $15.7 billion in the second quarter, the lowest since 2012, according to Dealogic. While investment banking and trading were also a drag on earnings for big banks on Friday, JPMorgan likewise said the bank was seeing “green shoots” in trading and investment banking.

Persons: Nacho, Morgan Stanley, BNY Mellon, Dermot McDonogh, Robert Pavlik, BNY, Morgan, JPMorgan Chase, Charles Schwab, Walt Bettinger, MS.N, Morgan Stanley's, Sharon Yeshaya, Goldman Sachs, Mehnaz Yasmin, Niket, Jaiveer, Manya Saini, Saeed Azhar, Tatiana Bautzer, Lance Tupper, Johann Cherian, Michelle Price, Megan Davies, Nick Zieminski Organizations: of America, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, . Bank of America, Bank of New York Mellon Corp, Federal Reserve, Bank of, Wall, PNC Financial Services, Dakota Wealth, JPMorgan, Citigroup, PNC, Silicon Valley Bank, Reuters, Street, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Big U.S, NII, KBW, Wells Fargo, Silicon, Bengaluru

☆ U.S. banks shares spark after interest income boost, but outlook mixed
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Nacho Doce/File PhotoWASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) - Big U.S. banks on Tuesday said higher interest rates had helped boost profits in the second quarter, causing shares to spike, but a pullback in consumer spending, slower loan growth and increased deposit costs may cloud the outlook for the sector. Bank of America's net interest income (NII), which measures the difference between what banks earn on loans and pay out on deposits, rose 14% to $14.2 billion in the second quarter, helping it to beat Wall Street estimates. The bank said it expects full year NII to be up about 8% at about $57 billion. That has forced some banks to offer consumers higher returns to deter them from moving their deposits to competitors. Overall, the bank's profit slipped 18% in the second quarter as Wall Street's deal-making drought stunted revenue from investment banking, although investors were cheered by executives' positive outlook for M&A.

Persons: Nacho, BNY Mellon, Robert Pavlik, BNY, JPMorgan Chase, Charles Schwab, Morgan Stanley, MS.N, BofA, Mehnaz Yasmin, Niket, Manya Saini, Saeed Azhar, Tatiana Bautzer, Lance Tupper, Johann Cherian, Michelle Price, Megan Davies, Nick Zieminski Organizations: of America, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Bank of America, Bank of New York Mellon Corp, Federal Reserve, Bank of, Wall, PNC Financial Services, Dakota Wealth, " Bank of America, JPMorgan, Citigroup, PNC, Silicon Valley Bank, Investment, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Big U.S, NII, KBW, Wells Fargo, Silicon, Bengaluru

The crypto industry is in a tug-of-war with the SEC and its Democratic chair Gary Gensler, who has described the crypto market as a "Wild West" riddled with fraud. Saying most crypto tokens are securities, the SEC has cracked down on crypto trading platforms, including the top U.S. exchange Coinbase, in an effort to bring the industry under its oversight. Crypto firms have long disputed the SEC's jurisdiction but until Thursday no court had supported that view. The two sources, for example, said firms are considering ways to use the Judge's ruling for their defense. However, she also ruled Ripple's direct sales of XRP to investors should have been registered as securities, handing the SEC a partial victory.

Persons: Coinbase, Gary Gensler, Robert Frenchman, Mukasey Frenchman, Analisa Torres, XRP, Crypto, Teresa Goody Guillén, Spokespeople, Binance, Carol Goforth, Stuart Alderoty, Philip Moustakis, Jody Godoy, Chris Prentice, Hannah Lang, Tom Hals, Michelle Price, David Gregorio Our Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Ripple Labs, Democratic, Mukasey Frenchman LLP, San Francisco, U.S, District, Baker, Hostetler, University of Arkansas, Reuters, Circuit, Seward, Washington , D.C, Thomson Locations: Mukasey, New York, Washington, New York , Connecticut, Vermont, Washington ,

☆ JPMorgan, Wells Fargo prepare for losses on office loans
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Matt Tracy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

July 14 (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N) and Wells Fargo (WFC.N) said on Friday they set aside more money for expected losses from commercial real estate loans, in the latest sign that stress is building up in the sector. Wells Fargo reported higher losses in CRE due to its office loan portfolio. "While we haven't seen significant losses in our office portfolio to-date, we are reserving for the weakness that we expect to play out in the market over time," Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf said. The bank, which acquired First Republic Bank in May, reported $1.1 billion in credit loss provisions driven by its office portfolio. Some $20 billion of office commercial mortgage-backed securities, which bundle together individual loans, mature in 2023, according to real estate data provider Trepp.

Persons: JPMorgan Chase, Wells, Wells Fargo, Charlie Scharf, Jeremy Barnum, Matt Tracy, Michelle Price, Lananh Nguyen, Nick Zieminski Organizations: JPMorgan, Republic Bank, U.S, Federal, Regulators, McKinsey Global Institute, McKinsey, Thomson Locations: Wells, CRE, U.S

NEW YORK, July 13 (Reuters) - Alex Mashinsky, founder and former CEO of bankrupt cryptocurrency lender Celsius Network, pleaded not guilty Thursday to U.S. fraud charges that he misled customers and artificially inflated the value of his company's propriety crypto token. Three federal regulatory agencies also sued Mashinsky and Celsius in connection with the case. Mashinsky, 57, was charged with seven criminal counts - including securities fraud, commodities fraud and wire fraud - according to an indictment unsealed earlier on Thursday. Its founder Sam Bankman-Fried was charged with fraud last year, and has pleaded not guilty. "Whether it's old-school fraud or some new-school crypto scheme, it doesn't matter one bit.

Persons: Alex Mashinsky, Mashinsky, Sam Bankman, Fried, Ona Wang, Roni Cohen, Pavon, Cohen, Damian Williams, Williams, Hannah Lang, Luc Cohen, Chris Prentice, Elizabeth Howcroft, Chizu Nomiyama, Michelle Price, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: YORK, Prosecutors, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Futures Trading Commission, Federal Trade Commission, U.S, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, Israeli, U.S, Hoboken , New Jersey, Washington, New York, Bengaluru, London

WASHINGTON, July 13 (Reuters) - Partnering with Coinbase Global (COIN.O) may hinder rather than help Nasdaq's (NDAQ.O) bid to win regulatory approval for a bitcoin exchange-traded-fund it wants to launch with BlackRock (BLK.N). The SEC has denied previous spot bitcoin ETF proposals on the basis that they would be vulnerable to manipulation. The SEC last month sued Coinbase, escalating SEC chair Gary Gensler's crackdown on the crypto industry. And with roughly 56% of U.S. dollar bitcoin trading, according to Nasdaq's filing, Coinbase is integral to the U.S. bitcoin market. All told, the SEC has 240 days after it accepts the bitcoin ETF filing applications to make a decision.

Persons: Larry Fink, Bitcoin, Coinbase, Gary Gensler's, John Reed Stark, Sui Chung, Gensler, Joseph Silvia, Dickinson Wright, Silvia, Chung, Richard Marshall, Katten, Marshall, Michelle Price, John McCrank, Hannah Lang, Will Dunham Organizations: Coinbase, BlackRock, Nasdaq, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Cboe Global, Fidelity, FOX Business, Internet Enforcement, BlackRock's, Reuters, Thomson Locations: BlackRock, U.S

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had accused Ripple Labs and its current and former chief executives of selling unregistered securities when conducting a $1.3 billion offering for XRP, which was created in 2012. Shares in Coinbase, which is also embroiled in litigation with the SEC over its trading of crypto tokens, surged 24.5% on Thursday following the decision, finishing at $107. Coinbase said it would allow trading of the XRP token again on its platform in line with the court ruling. Bitcoin , the world's largest cryptocurrency, was last up 4.1% at 31,584 while Ethereum , the world's second-largest cryptocurrency, rose 6.43% to $1,993.3. Reporting by Chibuike Oguh in New York; editing by Michelle Price and Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Coinbase, We've, Analisa, Torres, Paul Grewal, Chibuike Oguh, Michelle Price, Deepa Babington Organizations: YORK, Coinbase Global Inc, Ripple Labs, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Labs, Inc, Marathon Digital Holdings Inc, Microstrategy Inc, Mining Corp, Twitter, Thomson Locations: U.S, Coinbase, New York

☆ Explainer-Why is the U.S. SEC reforming money market funds?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Michelle Price | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WHAT ARE MONEY MARKET FUNDS? All the major asset managers and bank groups, including BlackRock, Vanguard, Fidelity and Goldman Sachs offer money market funds. The panic was reminiscent of 2008 when a run on money market funds threatened to freeze up global markets and prompted the government to backstop the sector. The agency has made changes to primarily address concerns about “prime” and tax-exempt money market funds, which are particularly susceptible to runs in times of stress. In addition, some money market funds would be required to impose a discretionary liquidity fee if the fund’s board deems it’s necessary.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Goldman Sachs, It’s Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Washington , D.C, REUTERS, U.S, Vanguard, Fidelity, U.S . Treasury, Treasury, Federal Reserve, redemptions Locations: Washington ,, BlackRock

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