Small business lending

A new proposal to allow the Small Business Administration to offer credit directly would pull customers away from community lenders, writes the head of a credit union trade group.

Allowing the Small Business Administration to originate, rather than just guarantee, loans would provide much-needed capital to startups and mom-and-pop shops that many banks, credit unions and other lenders view as risky credits.

Commercial borrowers are leaning more often on alternative lenders that provide better speed and flexibility. At the same time, some banks are turning their backs on what has long been a bread-and-butter business.

The Cincinnati bank, which last month closed its purchase of the health care lender Provide, has raised its estimate for the unit’s 2021 loan volume.

Banks that embraced their role as a conduit for Paycheck Protection Program loans were likelier to take more risk elsewhere, according to new research by three accounting professors. “Anytime you have that amount of money flowing through the bank, it’s going to affect behavior,” one of the authors said.

The agency proposed reporting standards for any institution that originates 25 or more small-business loans a year. The measure would be especially burdensome for very small lenders and could limit credit access in underserved communities, critics say.

There's still a month left in the federal government's fiscal year, and the Small Business Administration's 504 program is perilously close to hitting its congressionally mandated funding limit for new loans.

On Mar. 31, 2021. Dollars in thousands.

The billionaire entrepreneur, Dallas Mavericks owner and "Shark Tank" co-host has always been outspoken. In a recent interview, he shared his thoughts on the shortcomings of the Paycheck Protection Program, the problem with bank consolidation and the future of cryptocurrency.

It may seem odd that Citigroup has created an online lending platform that matches small businesses with minority-run and other banks for no financial benefit. Yet company executives and observers say it makes sense.