Lenders have a role to play in the national reconciliation that must follow the recent racial unrest — providing greater access to capital for African Americans and other underserved groups so they can build wealth, activists said at a panel discussion hosted by Berkshire Bank in Boston.

One criticism of the CARES Act is that it provides relief only to borrowers with government-backed loans. Bills in New York and California would cover the remaining 30% of homeowners.

Bankers said legislative fixes to the small-business rescue program should help more borrowers secure loan forgiveness, though new demand will likely remain tepid because the process is still extremely cumbersome.

Acting Comptroller of the Currency Brian Brooks had suggested states and municipalities should end "indefinite shutdowns" meant to combat the spread of the coronavirus. The Democratic lawmaker said he was going against the public health recommendations.

The race to provide coronavirus relief for small businesses is opening new routes to fund payments, including underused credit lines.

Past is not prologue, and a successful strategy for becoming a top-performing bank in 2020 is very different from what it might have been just six months ago.

Once the payment holiday is over, monthly repayments are likely to be higher, leaving many borrowers struggling to manage their debt.

Credit union executives have led teams through past crises, but the pandemic has created new economic stresses and mental strain that CEOs must address.