Commercial lending

Net income fell 46% in the first quarter as the company added nearly $5 billion to its loss reserves in anticipation of a wave of loan defaults.

With the coronavirus pandemic bringing economic activity to a virtual standstill, BofA, like Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase, is shoring up its reserves to brace for a likely recession.

Online lenders, core providers and software companies have created digital platforms that speed up and simplify Paycheck Protection Program loans for businesses reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.

Its prediction that business conditions will remain weak this year — and into next year — stands in stark contrast to forecasts from political leaders that the economy will rebound quickly from the coronavirus pandemic.

Though hopeful for a second-half bounceback in the economy, JPMorgan Chase is prepared for 20% unemployment, lackluster GDP and losses in its loan portfolio that could reach tens of billions of dollars.

The results preview a tough first year for new CEO Charlie Scharf as the coronavirus pandemic brings the U.S. economy to a standstill.

The nation's largest bank set aside nearly $8.3 billion for bad loans, more than double what some analysts had expected.

Bank’s earnings fall 69% in the first quarter; this week’s earnings reports could determine whether banks will need to suspend dividends.

By helping borrowers now, banks hope customers can quickly catch up on payments once the coronavirus pandemic ends. If they can’t, interest income will remain low and charge-offs could pile up if the crisis drags on.

PayPal, Intuit QuickBooks Capital and Square Capital have been named direct lenders in the Paycheck Protection Program, and more await the go-ahead. They could be crucial to reaching the smallest firms trying to survive the economic toll of the coronavirus pandemic.

Just days after the Fed lifted Wells Fargo's asset cap so it could make more Paycheck Protection Program loans, it warned customers its queue is long and they may want to go elsewhere before program funds are exhausted.

Banks, which previously shunned unsecured small-dollar lending, are now embracing the product because of the outbreak. It's just a matter of whether the shift is permanent.

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Bank of America, which came under fire for prioritizing applications from existing small-business customers, asked a federal judge in Baltimore to reject a request in a lawsuit to temporarily bar it from employing the practice.

Bankers say they’re still trying to figure out if the Fed’s complex loan-buying vehicles will help them cater to the needs of midsize commercial customers hammered by the economic shock from the coronavirus outbreak.

The week-old Paycheck Protection Program will be opened up to sole proprietors and independent contractors on Friday.

Midsize businesses and state and local governments are among the beneficiaries of the central bank's latest $2 trillion effort to mitigate the economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Many banks were hitting their limits for lending to small businesses devastated by the coronavirus outbreak. They say the Fed's decisions to help fund additional loans and relax capital requirements will resolve many of their problems.

The maneuver could delay efforts by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to add another $250 billion to the Paycheck Protection Program.

The majority of small businesses faced a financial challenge last year and that was before the pandemic curtailed consumer demand and forced nonessential companies to close.