Small business lending

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.

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.

Bankers have become more uncertain about how to serve marijuana businesses owing to confusion about which states deem them essential.

Representatives of lenders as well as businesses that received pandemic bailout money told an oversight board Wednesday that delayed and confusing instructions from the government hampered the effectiveness of the main rescue program for smaller companies.

The demonstrations following George Floyd's death in police custody are forcing the industry to grapple with how it can — or if it should —advocate for equality and better race relations.

The bill, which passed the House last week on a 471-1 vote, now heads to President Trump’s desk for his signature.

The changes being sought would benefit both small businesses and banks, which would avoid the cost of servicing many low-yielding loans.

Bankers spent Monday cleaning up damaged branches, wondering if their small-business clients will need more emergency aid and contemplating how the racial and economic inequalities highlighted by days of violent protests nationwide can be corrected.

The Federal Reserve set up a liquidity facility to help banks meet demand for emergency small-business loans through the Paycheck Protection Program, but it's gone largely unused.

The agency is trying to get small lenders to help underserved businesses get the loans; although the British government is guaranteeing small-business loans, banks are required to collect on delinquents.

Many lenders are paying close attention to liquidity and capital ratios. Others are trying to avoid overtaxing employees who process, service and handle forgiveness of the loans.

The website, ppp.bank, will help borrowers in the Paycheck Protection Program apply for loan forgiveness.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston published details on the terms for lenders and borrowers to participate in the facility intended to provide coronavirus relief funds to middle-market firms.