Retail & Commercial

Lenders are bracing for possible setbacks in small business, office and hospitality lending. Consumer credit challenges may follow.

Among U.S. financial regulators, Chopra is the one who bankers fear the most. His agency is expected to battle with the financial industry in 2023 on topics ranging from discrimination to fees and the bureau's funding mechanism.

The New Canaan Bank would have been the state's first de novo in more than a decade.

At the start of 2022, banks sat atop a flood of deposits. But as the year progressed, they faced greater pressure to pay higher rates, and the trends that drove the rapid shift show no signs of abating.

The Amesbury-based bank reported solid growth and profitability throughout Dave Mansfield's 9-year tenure. The decision followed news of losses tied to the bank's move into digital-asset lending, though the bank has yet to file a 10-Q for the third quarter.

Two long-awaited developments — the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's data access proposal and the Federal Reserve's faster payments network debut — are slated for next year. The combined effect on consumer banking might be more consequential than we now know.

Commercial loans at federally insured credit unions increased 25% to $132.2 billion in the third quarter of 2022, even though many institutions are facing a tough job market. Their answer is to find strong candidates within their own ranks.

Despite a slow year overall, banks announced several substantial merger and acquisitions in 2022.

Banks and other lenders revived special-purpose credit programs after racial-equity protests in 2020 prompted them to reexamine their services for historically underserved groups. Now they're taking those initiatives nationwide.

The U.S. should look abroad for innovative solutions to the problem of assessing the creditworthiness of borrowers with little formal credit history.