American consumers remain resilient despite higher interest rates and energy costs, according to earnings reports from three of the nation's biggest banks.

• At JPMorgan Chase, credit and debit card sales volume was up 10% compared with a year earlier.
• At Wells Fargo, debit card spending increased 8% year over year, up from 5% growth a year earlier. Credit card spending jumped 12%.
• At Citigroup, general-purpose card spending jumped 13%.

💳 And consumers are largely keeping up with their bills, despite concerns about mounting debt. JPMorgan's consumer card net charge-off rate declined to 2.91%, while Wells Fargo and Citi also reported improving consumer credit quality.

🗣️ The big picture: "While much has been made of the AI boom, the consumer is still driving much of the growth," Citi CEO Jane Fraser said on the bank's earnings call. "The labor market is stable and companies remain active."

• Strong employment and wage growth have helped Americans absorb higher prices, according to Wells Fargo CFO Mike Santomassimo.

⚠️ Yes, but: Bank executives warned that persistently high interest rates could eventually take a toll on consumers, particularly if the labor market weakens.

• The housing market is already feeling the squeeze. Mortgage rates recently climbed above 7%, threatening to further chill an already sluggish market.

The bottom line: Consumer sentiment may be at a 12-year low, but Americans are still spending — and, for now, keeping up with their bills.

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Bank of America was hit with more than $1.2 billion in penalties from the Treasury Department for failing to report suspicious transactions and fix longstanding deficiencies in its anti-money-laundering program, Axios' Courtenay Brown writes.

💸 Why it matters: The action includes the third-largest penalty in Treasury history, following years of compliance failures that persisted even after regulators ordered the bank to strengthen its safeguards.

• The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency also assessed a $750 million penalty, the largest in the agency's history.

The other side: In a statement, Bank of America said it has invested billions of dollars in technology and dedicated thousands of employees to fighting financial crime.

• "Our team is far along with and committed to completing the work required to address the issues raised by our regulators."

Zoom out: The action comes less than a week after federal regulators fined American Express $350 million over similar failures to detect and report suspected money laundering.

BofA reports earnings tomorrow.

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Six Flags is temporarily closing nine roller coasters throughout its network of amusement parks after someone was killed yesterday on a ride in Georgia.

The big picture: The incident heightens public scrutiny over ride safety at a time when regional amusement parks are already under mounting competitive pressure.

The latest: The company is temporarily closing nine rides — including the Goliath coaster in Georgia — "out of an abundance of caution" while it investigates the incident.

Zoom out: Six Flags was already under the microscope. A CNN investigation published in August "documented reports of serious injuries and deaths associated with" the X2 ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California.

• The company announced nearly two weeks ago that it would permanently close the ride.

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🤖 Anthropic is expected to share its third-quarter financials at a meeting with institutional investors tomorrow, ahead of its planned IPO. (CNBC)

🎰 The FTC has begun probing the sports gambling industry, but details of the scope of the review were not immediately clear. It's not expected to include prediction markets. (Washington Sun)

🩺 UnitedHealth Group topped profit estimates and raised its earnings outlook as medical expenses fell and the company reported progress in tying provider compensation to patient outcomes. (CNBC)

💸 Character.AI filed for bankruptcy two years after Google acquired its founders and key researchers in a licensing deal. Former copyright adversary Disney agreed to pay $20 million for certain assets. (Axios Pro)

Apple today debuted a new device called HomeView — a smart-home product with a 7-inch screen designed to rely largely on voice commands and facial recognition to help users navigate life.

State of play: The $299 touch-screen smart display device — powered by Siri AI — comes in two versions: one that's mounted to a wall and one that's attached to a stand.

• It can recognize household members by their faces and respond to requests, delivering personalized info, such as calendar appointments.

The intrigue: Its debut comes eight years after the release of the Apple HomePod device, which didn't gain much traction.

• Apple unveiled a new version of the HomePod today, the HomePod mini 2, as well as a new version of Apple TV 4K and Apple Home Collection, including smart locks, doorbells and thermostats that work together via the Apple Home app and Siri.

💭 Our thought bubble via Axios' Ina Fried: The smart home has struggled to live up to its early promises, although there are signs consumers may be warming to some categories of devices with modern AI helping make them more useful.