Commercial lending

The company sold small businesses a credit-building product that fell short of its promises, and also failed to help them fix inaccuracies in their credit reports, according to the Federal Trade Commission. D&B has agreed to give refunds to many customers.

Business inventories, a key indicator of potential loan demand, are expected to swing upward this year as supply chain bottlenecks finally crack open, according to a panel of economists.

OneUnited's new installment-loan product is meant to break customers out of a cycle of debt. It will compete with similar offerings from heavyweights like Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Huntington.

Though the dining sector has been hit hard by COVID-19, restaurateurs have pivoted to drive-thru and curbside options, and rising grocery prices are making eating out comparatively less pricey.

Apollo Global Management has launched a new direct lending platform that offers individual investors access to large corporate loans, making it the latest non-bank lender to try to take advantage of soaring demand for private credit.

The $3 billion-asset company is expecting to add seven branches in the northwestern part of the state, and to expand its commercial lending business in the Toledo market, with the acquisition of Comunibanc Corp.

A gauge of U.S. firms extending credit climbed in December to the highest level in almost 18 years, signaling a strong bet on the economy’s prospects and heavy investment in automation.

The Secured Overnight Financing Rate has benefited — amid the phaseout of Libor — from positive comments by regulators. Is a multirate environment, which some banks would prefer, still possible?

Shares of Medallion Financial plunged Wednesday after U.S. regulators accused the New York-based lender to taxi drivers of seeking to illegally boost its stock price amid intense competition from Uber Technologies and Lyft. 

Credit risk management is about to get a lot more complicated for commercial lenders as major central banks raise interest rates. Banks need to learn to parse new kinds of data to avoid problem loans.