Commercial lending

The small businesses that drive the U.S. economy and local economies throughout our nation are being "hung out to dry" by regulators' push for increased capital requirements, according to the head of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council.

This week the Small Business Administration followed through with a controversial policy change by granting access to its flagship 7(a) program to three additional nonbank lenders. These new participants vowed to ramp up their small-business lending efforts.

Consumer appetites for new loans have slowed in the face of record interest rates, but Sunlight Federal Credit Union's partnership with Avana CUSO helps identify commercial real estate opportunities in markets both local and national.

The JPMorgan Chase chief says Texas risks undermining its business-friendly reputation with laws designed to punish Wall Street banks for policies that limit work with the gun and fossil-fuel industries.

Washington Trust shares plunged after the Westerly, Rhode Island, company disclosed it booked an office deal in the third quarter, boosting the size of its portfolio while other lenders are pulling back.

The Hicksville, New York, company beat analysts' expectations on net interest income, but a pair of souring office loans contributed to a 68% increase in nonperforming loans from the prior quarter.

The Oklahoma-based bank is projecting a modest uptick in spending alongside continuing loan growth. Many other banks are tightening the purse strings amid weaker loan demand.

The move shows Texas governments, major issuers of municipal bonds, are wary of working with banks that state Attorney General Ken Paxton put under review last week in connection with their climate change policies.

The Dallas company, which is in the midst of a four-year business overhaul, is facing a margin squeeze in the coming quarters. But even as analysts express skepticism, company executives aren't budging from the profitability goals they set two years ago.