Looser mortgage lending requirements would boost US economy: JPMorgan

In a year when the economy is expected to perform exceptionally well, there may still be opportunities for more growth, including mortgage lending, according to JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM) executives

Commenting during the company’s earnings call, CEO Jamie Dimon said loosening mortgage lending requirements is something that he would like to see, adding there are probably people who deserve credit who are being declined.

“We are not [talking] about going back to subprime, but loosening credit to some people,” the executive said during the Q&A session of JPMorgan’s fourth quarter earnings conference. He pointed out that people who may be unfairly being declined credit are young people.

Dimon said that loosening the mortgage lending requirements would be good for growth in the U.S., and JPMorgan CFO Marianne Lake added that its impact on growth would be “pretty immediate.”

President Trump has promised to rollback regulations on numerous occasions

Going into 2018, there are positive expectations for the U.S. economy, and part of the optimism is due to tax reform, which was signed into law at the end of December. When analysts asked JPMorgan how the company will use the extra money saved as a result of the corporate tax rate reduction,  executives said that they will continue to “lean in” to the investment opportunities they have; add to employee benefits and dividend increases; and consider share repurchases.