Commercial lending

Several regional banks have projected minimal growth or even a decline in lending this year. But Connecticut-based Webster is bullish based on its pipeline of nonoffice commercial real estate, public finance and other credits, CEO John Ciulla says.

The Alabama bank's executives said commercial borrowers remain cautious amid high rates and economic uncertainty. During the fourth quarter, flat lending and higher deposit costs weighed down the company's net interest income.

The San Francisco-based bank warned for months that charge-offs were likely to start rising as some office-related loans went bad. It began to happen in the fourth quarter, which could be an omen for regional banks that have larger concentrations in the office sector.

The Senate on Wednesday fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to override President Biden's veto in December of a Republican-led resolution to gut the small-business data collection rule using the Congressional Review Act.

The agency plans to restrict access to a system that provides borrower tax returns to mortgage lenders beginning June 30. Left out of the loop, small-business lenders say getting credit to borrowers will become more difficult as a result.

The legislation is the latest step in California's effort to crack down on high-cost small-business loans.

The megabank will report a hit to its earnings this Friday from what one analyst called an "accounting nuisance." The charge, which BofA will make up over time, is due to the bank's use of a Bloomberg-developed interest rate index that gained little traction.

The deadline for a $28 million deal between Bancorp 34 and CBOA Financial was pushed later into 2024 after Bancorp 34, the buyer, announced it would restate third-quarter results to reflect a significant loss tied to a worsening commercial real estate credit.

America First Credit Union wants to grow 7(a) lending, but its expansion prospects depend on hiring more experienced lenders. That's proved a common challenge for other institutions as the Small Business Administration program continues to grow in popularity.

Citigroup, Barclays and Morgan Stanley are just a few of the firms joining JPMorgan in what suddenly feels like a rush into direct lending.