Commercial lending

The Small Business Administration is implementing a freeze on new Community Advantage lenders, citing a surge in problem loans. The program grew during the previous administration as part of a push to expand the access that entrepreneurs who are members of disadvantaged groups have to capital.

Junk-rated companies and private equity firms have lined up about $17 billion of debt recently for purchases of everything from power plants to a chain of gas stations using 364-day bridge loans.

Federal Reserve Gov. Michael Barr said tariffs could have an outsize impact on small businesses and hardships could outlive the trade policy debate.

A 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs between the U.S. and China boosted the near-term economic outlook for banks, but tensions and uncertainty around trade barriers remain high.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will not enforce or supervise the 1071 small business lending rule, it announced in a press release. The rule requires collecting data on the race, ethnicity, gender and LGBTQ status of loan applicants.

The Small Business Administration is backing new legislation that would double the size limit on its manufacturing loans. Supporters say the bill has support on both sides of the aisle in Washington.

BCB Bancorp in Bayonne, New Jersey, swung to an $8.3 million loss in the first quarter due to a troubled cannabis loan. The crowded weed marketplace in the New York area is leading to tighter margins.

The growth of digital payments, coupled with the U.S.'s new open banking framework, may finally move the needle for an alternative form of credit decisioning.

Whether intentionally or not, regulatory incentives and punishments drive banks out of a lending market, to the detriment of the banking industry, consumers, American business and, in the long run, regulators themselves.

More than 1.4 million small businesses bank with U.S. Bank, according to the company, and it's now offering help with managing expenses and accepting payments.