Banking

American Banker's Most Powerful Women in Credit Unions celebrates the senior executives guiding the future of the credit union industry, while also examining issues of mentorship and inclusion.

The Minneapolis-based banking giant is enjoying its biggest year ever for 7(a) lending, with volume up 40%, as borrowers "are still coming to us," its SBA chief said.

After hikes pinched profits across the industry, a move in the opposite direction could be the start of a more promising trend. But bankers caution that the immediate effects of a September rate cut figure to be small.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is seeking to protect borrowers from unscrupulous loan servicers. The goal is laudable, but the agency's methods are misguided.

Prophecies about a wave of bank failures caused by sickly CRE loans haven't yet come true. But there are still plenty of caution signs in a saga that will take years to play out.

The inquiry, which is focusing on the nation's four largest airlines, aims to protect consumers from potentially unfair, deceptive and anticompetitive practices.

The deal to buy the First of Long Island Corp. would create a $14 billion-asset bank with $11 billion of both loans and deposits.

A survey of 135 financial services companies conducted by LexisNexis Risk Solutions, a subsidiary of LexisNexis, found that a vast majority reported increased levels of fraud in 2023.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said some non-profit hospitals are failing to provide assistance to low-income consumers, while landlords may be illegally charging fees to pay rent through online portals.

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce is planning its second executive shuffle in six months, which the CEO says is part of its routine talent-management process.

The top five banks in this list closed a net total of 148 branches in this time period — and 492 branches in the past 12 months.

If banks want to create customer loyalty and support growth, they need to holistically focus on the human factors that ultimately influence business outcomes.

Membership requirements, expense and the nonprofit ethos largely keep credit unions from participating in the banking-as-a-service space. But a few, such as North Bay Credit Union in California, have carved out a niche.

REV Federal Credit Union in suburban Charleston, South Carolina, plans to acquire First Neighborhood Bank in West Virginia. It marks the 15th deal this year involving a credit union buying a bank, closing in on 2022's record of 16 deals.

The combined bank would have $150 million in assets, and would offer better service and more convenience, according to Pulaski Savings Bank and Mutual Federal Bank.

Lenders across the country selected new executives late in the summer, as did Virginia's community bank advocacy group.

Northwest Federal Credit Union in Herndon, Virginia, will follow FedEx as stadium-name partner for the Washington Commanders, gaining branding rights for which the logistics giant was paying nearly $8 million annually.

Cannabis is becoming a big business in the U.S., but companies in the field still struggle to find financing. A broadly accepted way of assessing their creditworthiness would be a huge help.

Trimont CEO Bill Sexton acknowledges that a "daunting" volume of commercial real estate loans need to be refinanced in the next few years. But he says nonbank lenders are well equipped to provide financing that will allow troubled buildings to be reimagined.