Commercial lending

The passage of a Congressional Review Act resolution to rescind the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's small-business data collection rule may be only symbolic, but the rule is designed to detect and stop discrimination — something everyone should support.

Rep. Maxine Waters pressed executives from City National Bank, PNC Financial Services and Wells Fargo on opening branches in her California district and upholding promises made from recent merger agreements or consent orders.

Republicans and a handful of Democrats in the House and Senate, which already had passed an identical bill, say the data-collection rule would be too onerous for lenders and small-business borrowers. President Biden is expected to veto the legislation.

Total loans at U.S. banks with less than $10 billion of assets grew by 1.9% in the third quarter, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data. That was a slowdown from the previous quarter, and concerns about the viability of commercial real estate lending could dampen activity further.

The seller, Merchants and Manufacturers Bank in Illinois, has experienced rapid growth and zero lifetime losses in its niche portfolio. First Busey says that business line was a key reason it decided to buy its in-state peer.

The BSBY interest rate benchmark was originally envisioned as a successor to the once-ubiquitous Libor rate. But it failed to gain much traction, and Bloomberg now plans to shut it down next year.

Dream Chasers upped its bid for Carver, one of the nation's largest and highest-profile Black banks, by a quarter, to $3.25 per share, dismissing the growth strategy interim CEO Craig MacKay outlined in a recent shareholder letter.

Bankers are hopeful that several factors could strengthen profits next year, including higher loan demand and more stable funding costs as the Fed holds the line on — or even lowers — interest rates.

A medical services company is suing the nation's largest bank, alleging that it refused transactions, closed accounts and erroneously told customers that the company was subject to sanctions by the U.S. Treasury Department. JPMorgan declined to comment on the suit.

Credit problems in business loans have risen in recent months, as companies that are in a weak financial position have started closing up shop. The difficulty in gauging which banks will face the most trouble is prompting many investors to stay away from the sector.