Small business lending

Fintechs and payment startups are creating a range of solutions to SME financing, from crowdlending and invoice-backed factoring to digitalization and formalization of business processes, according to OmniBnk's Andrés Abumohor.

Lenders are glad the agency worked swiftly through a backlog of paperwork, but they're worried funds will get cut off if the government closes again.

Big data and artificial intelligence will allow banks to do more for small businesses, former SBA head Karen Mills argues.

CrediFi helps bankers pursuing commercial real estate loan growth minimize the risk in lending to customers they historically haven't served.

Small businesses short on cash can use advances from Fundbox to buy products from online suppliers.

Readers weigh in on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's payday rule, consider the gender wage gap in banking, debate restrictions to membership at the Federal Home Loan banks and more.

With SBA lending at a standstill, many small businesses can't access the capital they need to create and retain jobs, Stephen Steinour says.

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.

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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.

Investments in software can speed up decision-making and help traditional lenders better compete with fintechs for creditworthy customers who want their loans quickly.

A state-backed bank would not be financially feasible because capital requirements would be too high and it likely wouldn’t return profits to the state for at least 30 years, consultants concluded.

The branch closures will reduce overhead by an estimated $1.9 million a year.