Commercial lending

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will not enforce or supervise the 1071 small business lending rule, it announced in a press release. The rule requires collecting data on the race, ethnicity, gender and LGBTQ status of loan applicants.

The Small Business Administration is backing new legislation that would double the size limit on its manufacturing loans. Supporters say the bill has support on both sides of the aisle in Washington.

BCB Bancorp in Bayonne, New Jersey, swung to an $8.3 million loss in the first quarter due to a troubled cannabis loan. The crowded weed marketplace in the New York area is leading to tighter margins.

The growth of digital payments, coupled with the U.S.'s new open banking framework, may finally move the needle for an alternative form of credit decisioning.

Whether intentionally or not, regulatory incentives and punishments drive banks out of a lending market, to the detriment of the banking industry, consumers, American business and, in the long run, regulators themselves.

More than 1.4 million small businesses bank with U.S. Bank, according to the company, and it's now offering help with managing expenses and accepting payments.

As the risk of a recession rises, commercial real estate loans remain a major concern for banks and industry participants. One observer asked: "Is '25 the year where sellers start to capitulate, call a loser a loser, and move on?"

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said in a court filing that it will repropose a rule requiring lenders to report small-business loan data, citing legal challenges.

The top five banks had a combined commercial real estate loan volume of more than $482 billion at the end of the fourth quarter.