Commercial lending

The movement of cash to money market funds from bank accounts will diminish lenders' ability to finance small and midsize firms, BlackRock Investment Institute said in a new paper. BlackRock and other money managers have spent much of this year readying to fill that void.

It's been a rocky few years for senior housing as the sector recovers from its COVID occupancy drop and its profitability takes a hit. But bankers see long-term opportunities amid an aging U.S. population and say their portfolios are healthy.

In a tough commercial real estate market, sellers are stepping up efforts to entice buyers before plummeting property values force them to accept deeper discounts. 

Regulators should consider whether additional investor protections are needed for the fast-growing market, Caroline Crenshaw, an SEC commissioner, said in a speech Wednesday.

Lenders at an American Bankers Association conference this week railed against proposed regulatory requirements they argue could drive up costs, curb credit availability and ultimately hurt borrowers in already fragile economic times.

The Biden administration's misguided attempt to protect the banking system from itself will reduce credit available to the Americans who need it most.

Donald Trump wanted to get higher on the Forbes billionaires list and save a fortune on loan terms by overvaluing his properties, according to documents presented by New York Attorney General Letitia James at the former president's civil fraud trial. 

Commercial real estate borrowers, including vulnerable office tower landlords, are increasingly struggling to make payments and, as a result, more lenders are expected to report higher credit costs.

Camino Financial and Fundation, which are combining, serve distinct slices of the small business market. The deal's architects say it will enable the combined firm to provide more financing options to entrepreneurs, and they argue that now is a good time to lean into small business lending.

Credit unions and banks are lending more to merchants based in the Western U.S., reflecting trends reported in the Umpqua Bank 2023 Business Barometer and running against broader economic pessimism.

Private equity firms have been increasingly adding another layer of debt to their complex borrowing arrangements, raising concern among some investors about potential risks to the wider industry and the financial system.

With a week left in its 2023 fiscal year, the Small Business Administration has already approved 12% more 7(a) loans than last year. Larger banks were among the biggest gainers as a result, according to the agency's latest data.

Dawson Her Many Horses, a commercial banker at Wells Fargo, is a pivotal player in an effort among tribal leaders, the federal government and the private sector to improve the availability of economic data about Native American communities to encourage outside investment there.

Denver-based InBank will expand into Georgia and Arizona, part of a wider plan to seize market share and build what one executive called a top-tier SBA lender.

BMO says the shutdown will result in job losses as it shifts its resources to other areas.

Commercial real estate loans are a growing area of concern for banks. But OceanFirst says its exposure to a troubled shared credit tied to a Manhattan office building isn't a sign of broader problems in its portfolio.

A movement is afoot to transfer the job of the Federal Home Loan banks to the Federal Reserve. This would be a disaster for small lenders.

Despite an industrywide rough patch, EverBank still sees promise in the niche business line. The Jacksonville, Florida, company has hired a pair of prominent industry experts to lead a new division tasked with serving investment funds.

The secretive world of private credit is increasingly being funded by public money, and there will be no FDIC there to bail us out when things go bad.

The former U.S. vice president turned climate crusader says Big Oil and the banks backing it still have huge financial incentives to stick with fossil fuels, even though their decision to do so is the leading cause of the climate crisis.