Small business lending

A blueprint that includes more CRA and tax credits for lower-income African Americans would help a demographic disproportionately harmed by the coronavirus pandemic.

A memorandum of understanding will include webinars and training events to increase the industry's understanding of Ex-Im products.

Leaders of companies including Citizens, Comerica and Truist offered more upbeat assessments of loan demand and credit quality than they have in recent weeks. But others warned of weakness in key sectors such as energy and real estate, and said forbearance policies may be hiding potential pitfalls.

Activity in the Paycheck Protection Program has slowed in recent weeks, but Customers Bancorp and Fountainhead Capital continue to pursue loans aggressively in hopes of developing long-term borrower relationships.

The industry granted about 21% of these loan applications after three months of record lows.

The global protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death should serve as a reminder that the banking industry must do more to support minority employees and customers.

The changes are meant to make the program more attractive for both business borrowers and the banks that make the loans; as workers trickle back to offices on Wall Street, they'll see a different landscape due to coronavirus concerns.

The central bank will increase support for credit issued through the Main Street Lending Program while providing midsize firms with more flexibility on the amounts they receive.

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.

As part of its commitment, the Minneapolis company said it will provide $100 million in capital to African American owned and operated businesses and organizations.