Commercial lending

Banks would be big winners if Congress slashes corporate tax rates and they will have no shortage of options for deploying all that extra cash.

Beneficial Bancorp in Pennsylvania believes it can make a dent in a relationship-driven business that is expected to have more borrower demand in 2018.

Experts in digital lending share useful insights into the potential opportunities and pitfalls, covering everything from mortgages to small business.

Evidence that the credit characteristics of online installment borrowers at the time of repayment are consistently worse than at the time of borrowing should be a sobering thought for lenders that have not been fully tested in a credit downturn.

The Cleveland Fed's conclusion that U.S. consumers are typically worse off after getting online loans encountered strong pushback from industry groups and the company that provided the data.

The company hired Kevin Thompson, a CFO with big-bank experience, to take over its top financial post. Once a fast-growing bank, Opus has spent recent months cutting costs and exiting certain business lines.

The San Francisco company is one of numerous online lenders that are struggling to become profitable.

Sterling Bancorp in New York is determined to turn Astoria Financial's largely residential operation into a commercial powerhouse. While investors are skeptical, CEO Jack Kopnisky has proven in the past that such an ambitious plan is doable.

The disagreement is tied to Walnut Street, an entity formed in 2014 to move certain commercial loans out of the bank. Separately, the company is facing a civil money penalty from the FDIC tied to issues with a third-party payment processor.

Consumers who have borrowed from online lenders owe more and have lower credit scores than similarly situated consumers who have not used online lenders, according to a study released Thursday by the Cleveland Fed. The provocative findings seem likely to spark intense debate.