Commercial lending

Stock markets have shot up as investors grow hopeful that the United States will avoid a recession. But nearly 3 in 4 community bankers are less optimistic that the Fed will achieve its mission of reducing inflation without causing a downturn, a survey from IntraFi found.

The bank said it would continue to make multifamily loans to current customers that have depository or other bank relationships. The move comes amid rising concerns about the impact of high interest rates on the apartment sector.

The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee voted nearly unanimously to advance a bill that would halt a plan by the Small Business Administration to open up some of its loan programs to fintech companies.

Several community banks noted an uptick in problem loans in second-quarter earnings reports. Small lenders should brace for more of this, industry observers noted.

The Wall Street giant has more than $14 billion of real estate investments, and it took a $1.15 billion hit during the second quarter from writedowns of those bets.

While credit unions are being cautious with this lending line, some see opportunities to grow their commercial books amid setbacks at big-name banks such as Wells Fargo.

Solopreneurs are the new engine of business growth in the U.S., and banks and financial services regulators need to recognize their importance.

The bank's allowance for losses on commercial real estate loans jumped to $3.6 billion in the second quarter — up 64% from a year earlier. The negative forecast could portend trouble for smaller banks that have bigger exposure to the office sector.

Isabella Guzman, the administrator of the Small Business Administration, skipped a congressional hearing called to discuss the wide disparity in the level of fraud calculated by her staff and a parallel examination conducted by SBA's Office of the Inspector General.

The Kentucky company says its newly purchased equipment financing unit will strengthen its presence in the market for leasing office furniture, computers and other lower-cost essentials that customers will still buy in an unpredictable economy.