Commercial lending

Ride-hailing services and public transit were gaining ground until the pandemic struck, but the outbreak has quickly and radically changed how consumers think about buying cars.

The Senate had passed the bill Tuesday, shortly before the Small Business Administration was to stop accepting new loan applications.

The Main Street Lending Program is off to a slow start, while the PPP is extended five weeks to distribute the remaining $130 billion in loans; the European regulator is softening its stance to allow more deals.

The 2008 financial crisis transformed banking regulation. But how have those changes held up in the current recession, and what might be coming next?

With stimulus money running out and forbearances set to expire, consumer spending is bound to shrink. That's bad news for business owners and their landlords, the Pittsburgh bank's CEO says.

The Paycheck Protection Program propped up many banks' balance sheets in the first half of the year, but what will drive loan demand in the second half?

The extension to Aug. 8 was offered by Sen. Ben Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, and cleared the chamber by unanimous consent. The House has yet to take up the bill but could pass it as soon as Tuesday night.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said about 300 lenders have signed on to the program and that the central bank is committed to making adjustments that could attract more borrowers.

Lenders are selling their Paycheck Protection Program loans or hiring outside companies to navigate the process in an effort to reduce risk and avoid overloading their employees.

Some observers said the central bank should have suspended dividends entirely in response to an unprecedented economic emergency caused by the pandemic. Others said its more cautious moves were appropriate because big banks' capital is strong and the economy could bounce back.