Commercial lending

The digital lender, which bought Radius Bancorp in February, still expects to record a full-year loss partly because of merger-related costs. But its stock price soared Thursday after it reported second-quarter net income of $9.37 million.

Borrowers with Paycheck Protection Program loans of up to $150,000 will be able to apply for forgiveness directly through a government portal if their lender opts in. Industry representatives welcomed the move.

States in its footprint have some of the lowest vaccination rates in the country. Another round of shutdowns could further damage industries like hospitality that have already been hit hard by the pandemic, executives said.

The Wisconsin company’s growth initiative, expected to be unveiled by mid-September, will fund both a bigger commitment to online banking products and a push to expand in new and existing markets.

The best performers in our annual ranking of banks with $10 billion to $50 billion of assets benefited from a big lending push. But like their peers, the top 10 as a group saw their profitability slip last year compared with 2019.

Derek Ellington will replace Steve Troutner, who is stepping down for personal reasons. He will report to Mary Mack, the bank's CEO of consumer and small-business banking.

Small Business Administration lenders have reported strong quarterly results, but those gains could evaporate later this year. Here’s why.

The company has long focused on customers with ties to the two states. But as it emerges from the pandemic seeking new lending opportunities, CEO Rajinder Singh says, “We are looking at markets from Boston all the way down to Atlanta.”

Comerica, which focuses on the energy sector, reported strong payment trends last quarter, while M&T, which concentrates more on real estate, showed deterioration. The divergence reflects varying exposures to sectors hit hard by the COVID-19 recession.

Commercial and industrial loans fell 14.3% in the second quarter. But CEO Chris Gorman says green shoots are emerging, pointing in particular to recent stability in credit line utilization rates.

Mortgages and wealth management generated fees that gave top midtiers an edge, as the pandemic halted most lending outside of the Paycheck Protection Program.

First Women's Bank received approval from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. this week and is set to open its doors in the fall. It is the first new bank to be chartered in Illinois since 2010.

Native American reservations have some of the country's highest concentrations of unbanked households. But tribes are finding ways to get their members access to capital — with or without banks.

Bankers insist borrowing will pick up on the back of a post-pandemic economic recovery. But so far there are few signs of a rebound, and analysts are skeptical one is imminent.

Though the Paycheck Protection Program is winding down, the Small Business Administration has prolonged several other pandemic relief programs. Community banks can help local businesses sort through their options.

Community banks support legislation that would exempt them from paying tax on interest earned from farmland loans, arguing it would make them more competitive with government-backed lenders and expand access to credit in rural areas.

Andrew Harmening, who took the helm of the Wisconsin company in April, pointed to an economy emerging from the pandemic and waning loan deferrals, saying that loan growth could resume by the end of the third quarter.

As banks pull back from energy lending, some of the world’s biggest hedge funds are rushing in to fill the gap in oil country.

The fintech specializes in lending to dentists, veterinarians and other solo providers looking to grow or establish their own practice.

Cannabis, though still illegal at the federal level, continues to inch into the financial mainstream. Small credit unions and lenders as large as Valley National and East West have moved beyond just taking deposits from marijuana companies.