Small business lending

Industry groups and lawmakers have joined bankers in insisting the agency develop a plan to resolve the paperwork problem before the partial government shutdown ends.

With a permanent director confirmed, the agency should take steps to establish a small-business data collection rule mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act.

The shutdown is keeping the agency from approving about 300 loans per day, according to CBA President Richard Hunt.

Credit union and bank executives say the federal work stoppage hasn’t hit business lines yet, but that could change if things drag on much longer.

The acquisition of VAR Technology Finance bolsters the bank's efforts to expand into new areas of lending.

The tricky part: raising awareness without appearing to take advantage of borrowers at a time when agencies like the SBA are out of commission.

Financial institutions of all sizes are offering low- or zero-rate loans, waiving fees and making other arrangements to aid federal workers — a practice that regulators officially blessed on Friday, the 21st day of the closing of many U.S. agencies.

One bank's push to use Ripple's XRP in cross-border payments; LendUp spins off credit card business, names new CEO; a worrisome resurgence of rivalry among the banking agencies; and more from this week's most-read stories.

The American Bankers Association has called for an end to the government shutdown, saying it has prevented customers from securing loans and threatens even more damage.

The agency is unable to process loan applications and faces a daunting backlog once Washington returns to work.