John Reosti

Late approval and delayed access to the Fed’s liquidity facility have forced fintechs to play catch-up in the Paycheck Protection Program. A strong finish could bolster their case for becoming full-fledged Small Business Administration lenders.

Seneca-Cayuga Bancorp's capital levels have fallen steadily since peaking in 2013.

Bankers are bracing for accusations of discrimination in the way Paycheck Protection Program loans were allocated.

Locally sourced campaigns are providing more capital as traditional loans fall short of covering operating expenses.

Funneling fees from emergency loans to feed the hungry. Supporting psychological counseling for health care heroes and financial advice for the poor. Backing retrofits of customer operations to produce protective gear for front-line medical personnel. Bankers and financial educators have tossed out the traditional playbook to help clients and communities in crisis.

The Small Business Administration's last-minute plan to temporarily block larger banks from the relief loan program is another example of the agency changing the rules midstream, critics said.

Queued-up loans. Extra bankers. Government tweaks to promote fairness. None of these precautionary measures has been enough for the second round of the Paycheck Protection Program to avoid the pitfalls of the first.

As banks accept new applications for the paycheck program, they are dogged by complaints that they prioritized wealthy borrowers. But lenders likely fast-tracked clients they knew best under difficult circumstances, observers say.

Lenders are being urged to prepare applications for the latest version of the Paycheck Protection Program.

The energy business alone faces immense challenges and the overall economy may not bounce back until 2022, Stephen Steinour says.