Commercial lending

The acquisition of Middleburg Financial would create a nearly $2.5 billion-asset bank in northern Virginia with strong mortgage originations and a growing wealth management business. It would provide an endgame for Middleburg while also making Access more appealing to potential buyers.

Signature and BankUnited had warned of weakness in their medallion portfolios for months but had resisted taking drastic measures. Things changed when large borrowers started to miss payments.

The California company plans to hire a second chief credit officer to specify monitor commercial lending and specialty lines. At least one analyst said the changes, which also include adjustments to credit policies, calls into question the company's strategic director and growth trajectory.

Signature Bank in New York reported a sharp decline in quarterly profits after suffering steep losses on its Chicago portfolio of taxi medallion loans.

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

BB&T in Winston-Salem, N.C., rode recent acquisitions to a record profit in the third quarter.

Its loan-loss provision increased largely due to energy-related loans, but Hancock Holding in Gulfport, Miss., still reported higher third-quarter profits. Lower expenses and an increase in lending for healthcare, equipment finance and mortgages were the main reasons.

First Tennessee Bank in Memphis has recruited a quartet of executives for its expanding specialty banking lines that serve the franchising, healthcare, music, and transportation industries.

Remember how commercial and industrial lending was a hot item in the first half of the year? Not anymore. Blame election-year blues and a regulatory crackdown on CRE, regional bank executives said. The good news is that the hand-wringing over energy lending has largely subsided and banks are taking advantage of new opportunities in specialty lending.

The investment bank will take "a very deliberate and methodical approach" to building its online lending platform, Chief Financial Officer Harvey Schwartz told investors Tuesday, implicitly drawing a contrast to once-highflying startups like Lending Club and Propser.