Commercial lending

Banks participating in the Main Street Lending Program were able to register for and offer credit to businesses last month, but the Federal Reserve said Monday it was set to make the effort fully operational.

Small businesses have been hard hit by the pandemic, meaning commercial lenders are considering how they can better manage risk in this portfolio and make other changes to help.

Ride-hailing services and public transit were gaining ground until the pandemic struck, but the outbreak has quickly and radically changed how consumers think about buying cars.

The Senate had passed the bill Tuesday, shortly before the Small Business Administration was to stop accepting new loan applications.

The Main Street Lending Program is off to a slow start, while the PPP is extended five weeks to distribute the remaining $130 billion in loans; the European regulator is softening its stance to allow more deals.

The 2008 financial crisis transformed banking regulation. But how have those changes held up in the current recession, and what might be coming next?

With stimulus money running out and forbearances set to expire, consumer spending is bound to shrink. That's bad news for business owners and their landlords, the Pittsburgh bank's CEO says.

The Paycheck Protection Program propped up many banks' balance sheets in the first half of the year, but what will drive loan demand in the second half?

The extension to Aug. 8 was offered by Sen. Ben Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, and cleared the chamber by unanimous consent. The House has yet to take up the bill but could pass it as soon as Tuesday night.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said about 300 lenders have signed on to the program and that the central bank is committed to making adjustments that could attract more borrowers.

Lenders are selling their Paycheck Protection Program loans or hiring outside companies to navigate the process in an effort to reduce risk and avoid overloading their employees.

Some observers said the central bank should have suspended dividends entirely in response to an unprecedented economic emergency caused by the pandemic. Others said its more cautious moves were appropriate because big banks' capital is strong and the economy could bounce back.

National Credit Union Administration Chairman Rodney Hood told a NAFCU audience now is the time to take action on the member business lending cap so credit unions can continue to help with the coronavirus recovery.

Despite success lobbying for PPP inclusion and the elimination of Regulation D, the industry must continue to push for additional reforms.

Nick Darvill, who is currently president of the credit union service organization, will take over as CEO when Jim Gallagher retires from that position.

Upstart, which specializes in the use of alternative data and AI in credit decisions, will make car loans directly and sell its technology to banks and other lenders.

With credit quality suffering due to the coronavirus outbreak, the online business lender faces onerous loan repayments if it can't renegotiate a corporate debt facility.

Banks are beginning to emphasize soft skills to help employees make “human” connections with customers in an environment of reduced face-to-face contact.

The Paycheck Protection Program put a premium on speed in processing and funding loans.

A global health crisis. Economic free fall. A reckoning over racism and inequality. We will not be the same after this — and neither will banking.