Small business lending

SBA lending is on a tear. Gulf Coast Bank & Trust is the latest institution to dive into doing this activity nationwide after buying CapitalSpring.

Better access to credit, an improving revenue picture and promises of regulatory relief are bolstering the confidence of small-business owners.

The public-private effort, aimed at expansion-minded tech and other companies with proven track records, would be backed by the country’s six largest banks, insurance companies and regional lenders.

The Innovative Lending Platform Association and the Coalition for Responsible Business Finance announced Monday that they are joining forces.

Banks are partnering with tech companies to win back some of the small-business customers that the industry lost to fintechs.

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After recording a $35.9 million quarterly loss, the online small-business lender said that it plans to reduce its annual expenses by $20 million, cut 11% of its staff and more than double its loan-loss provision from a year earlier.

Bond Street targets small businesses that might be able to qualify for a bank loan but are looking for a faster and easier approval process.

Seacoast Commerce Banc Holdings in San Diego will keep more of its small-business loans on its balance sheet in response to rapidly changing economic and political conditions.

The Toronto company will add as many as 75 small-business bankers in several of its key U.S. markets.

Financial firms are going on offense in Washington, pressing a policy agenda that would have been unimaginable just a few months ago. Some proposals, like reforming the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, have been floated before while others began to gain traction after Republicans swept the November elections. Here's a look at some of the industry's requests.

One of the root problems of investing disparities is lack of diversity among those who make investment decisions. Here’s how to change the dynamic.

Chicago-based Akouba will offer its origination and underwriting platform to ABA-member banks, which will receive preferred pricing.

James Hobson is resigning to become the CEO of Attune, a new company in the commercial insurance sector.

The Louisiana company will enter several markets around Dallas with the $21 million deal

Eastern Bank developed its own online lending platform to compete with the likes of Kabbage and OnDeck. It might now be able to cash in by licensing to other banks.

If offering a national regulation option to fintech players is the carrot, compliance with commonsense borrower protections could be the stick in promoting responsible financial innovation.

With loans of $100,000 or less, the typical bank breaks even or loses money. But one Florida community bank is betting faster turnaround times on small-business loans can help the bottom line.

Donald Trump was sworn in Friday, but banking industry executives have spent the last two months envisioning a vastly different political, economic and regulatory climate. The dominant question in coming months will be how realistic those expectations are.

MCA remains a very active area — and has become fiercely competitive.