Commercial lending

Prophecies about a wave of bank failures caused by sickly CRE loans haven't yet come true. But there are still plenty of caution signs in a saga that will take years to play out.

The deal to buy the First of Long Island Corp. would create a $14 billion-asset bank with $11 billion of both loans and deposits.

A survey of 135 financial services companies conducted by LexisNexis Risk Solutions, a subsidiary of LexisNexis, found that a vast majority reported increased levels of fraud in 2023.

Cannabis is becoming a big business in the U.S., but companies in the field still struggle to find financing. A broadly accepted way of assessing their creditworthiness would be a huge help.

Trimont CEO Bill Sexton acknowledges that a "daunting" volume of commercial real estate loans need to be refinanced in the next few years. But he says nonbank lenders are well equipped to provide financing that will allow troubled buildings to be reimagined.

Bridgewater Bancshares agreed to acquire First Minnetonka Bancorp. in an all-cash transaction slated to close in the fourth quarter. It would create a nearly $5 billion-asset bank.

A federal judge excoriated banks for inflating data in a challenge to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's data collection on small-business loans.

Lower interest rates could bolster loan demand, credit quality and securities portfolios. But they could also curb lending profitability faster than they ease deposit costs, crimping net interest margins and eating into near-term profits.

The stock prices of banks that have large exposure to commercial real estate loans surged after comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. His remarks could be a sign that relief is coming on both sides of those banks' balance sheets.

Increased demand from borrowers may hinge on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and his colleagues cutting interest rates this fall.