Jim Dobbs

Deferral periods on scores of commercial loans will soon be ending, and many banks’ profits this year could turn on whether borrowers can resume making payments or will seek extensions.

⁠John Corbett says building scale, lowering costs and strengthening technology offerings have become more critical for banks to stay competitive.

A record amount of funds have flowed into banks since the coronavirus hit, but a low-rate environment and tepid loan demand are complicating efforts to put that money to work.

The Maryland company said the additions, including a former bank CEO, will strengthen its “overall operational and strategic management."

As revenue-starved retailers fall further behind on rent payments, landlords' cash flow will be strained, and defaults on commercial real estate loans could rise.

Anita Gail Moody, who was president of Enloe State Bank, admitted to creating phony loan documents — and setting a fire to destroy them — before the bank was shuttered in May 2019.

Before the coronavirus outbreak, financial institutions, wary of robberies, prevented customers from covering their faces. As branches reopen, public health concerns are forcing accommodations.

Faced with limited growth opportunities and potentially mounting loan losses, banks are getting aggressive — and creative — to boost profits.

Bankers spent Monday cleaning up damaged branches, wondering if their small-business clients will need more emergency aid and contemplating how the racial and economic inequalities highlighted by days of violent protests nationwide can be corrected.

The company will incur an upfront fee but will save $7 million a year by walking away from a deal with the Los Angeles Football Club.

At least four pending deals have been canceled since the economy was locked down to slow the pandemic's spread. With banks' market values falling and loan-loss provisions piling up, more terminations are likely.

Some lenders are issuing debt and preferred stock to provide an extra buffer for credit losses. Others are preparing for growth opportunities.

Craft Bank, which plans to open this summer, is in the final stage of raising $30 million in initial capital.

With rates so low — after steep emergency Federal Reserve cuts in response to the pandemic’s fallout — banks will struggle to generate bread-and-butter interest income and asset-sensitive lenders will face substantial net interest margin contraction this year and next, analysts say.

More write-downs seem inevitable as the coronavirus outbreak wreaks havoc on the economy and bank stocks.

Banks could end up holding many low-rate Paycheck Protection Program loans on their books for two years, and dealing with irate borrowers who failed to meet federal requirements for forgiveness.

Thomas Lopp cited health reasons for leaving Sterling Bancorp less than six months after becoming CEO. Sterling has been dealing with revenue issues after shutting down its biggest lending program over underwriting concerns.

Lenders that scrambled to grant forbearance as the coronavirus pandemic took hold are unsure about the extent of potential losses.

Stay-at-home orders and business shutdowns have led to a sharp decline in consumer use of credit and debit cards.

Organizers of Rockpoint Bank still need to raise $30 million before opening.