Articles by Sally Bakewell

Bank Groups Sue US Regulators to Halt Anti-Redlining Rules

Several industry groups sued US regulators to block recent overhauls to the Community Reinvestment Act, arguing the new rules meant to tackle redlining and boost lending to lower-income areas will actually discourage banks from lending. The American Bankers Association, U.S. …

Deutsche Bank to Pay $75 Million to Settle Epstein Suit

Deutsche Bank AG agreed to pay $75 million to settle a lawsuit in which victims of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse accused the bank of facilitating his sex-trafficking operation, according to attorneys for the plaintiffs. Deutsche Bank agreed to settle after …

Allstate Posts Loss With ‘Exceptionally’ High Catastrophe Costs

Allstate Corp. posted a bigger first-quarter loss than analysts expected as higher premiums failed to offset rising auto costs and soaring catastrophe losses. The company reported a $342 million loss on an adjusted basis for the period, compared to profit …

Regulators Warn But Slow to Fix Blind Spots on Rising Risky Corporate Debt

The steady drumbeat of warnings over the surge in risky corporate borrowing is growing louder and louder. Time and again, regulators in the U.S. and Europe have pointed to the hazards of businesses taking on too much debt. At issue …

Applied Systems Among Firms Layering Loans to Pay Equity Owners

First the companies tapped the loan market. Not long after that, they came back for more. Corporations like Bausch Health Cos., a drugmaker, telecom provider Sprint Corp. and Applied Systems Inc., an insurance software provider, borrowed again this month after …

CLO Fever: Small Insurer Bets Big on Booming Leveraged Loan Market

Advantage Insurance of San Juan, Puerto Rico, is no one’s idea of a financial colossus. But this little insurance company is making a giant bet on some of the hottest investments around: collateralized loan obligations. That a company with about …

In Land of Negative Yields, Even Conservative Insurers Eye Junk Bond Investments

The new fixed-income haven is, of all things, the market for junk bonds. With government securities in Germany to Japan and Ireland yielding less than nothing, money is pouring into exchange- traded funds that buy speculative-grade debt, traditionally the riskiest …

Insurance Bill for Renewable Energy Seen Tripling to $2.8 Billion

Insurance costs for the renewable energy industry may more than triple to $2.8 billion by 2020 as projects become more complex and risky, a report commissioned by Swiss Re Ltd. found. The report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance examined markets …