Commercial lending

The report from the commission created to monitor the government's response to the pandemic comes as Congress begins negotiations over another round of stimulus.

On Mar. 31, 2020. Dollars in thousands.

Trump-appointed regulators gave the industry the green light to offer installment loans during the pandemic. But with concerns that the light could turn red in 2021, bankers remain extra cautious.

While rival banks reported increases in loans and deposits, thanks largely to their participation in the Paycheck Protection Program, State Street and Bank of New York Mellon saw their balance sheets shrink in the second quarter.

The Birmingham, Ala., company more than doubled its loan-loss provision from three months earlier and its chief financial officer said that more than half of its loans to oil and gas companies could eventually become criticized.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin did not define "small," but advocates have been urging Congress to convert all Paycheck Protection Program loans of less than $150,000 into grants.

Bank of America was the latest large bank to report a second-quarter drop in the key earnings metric after a March surge in credit line utilizations gave way to rapid payoffs in May and June.

Bankers Healthcare Group, which is minority owned by the Tennessee company, is moving beyond its primary strategy of selling health care originations to community banks and will start marketing pools of loans to investors.

A growing number of lenders are unloading loans made through the Paycheck Protection Program.

The energy sector, retail and hospitality are among the industries that are faring poorly during the pandemic. The bank expects loan losses to remain elevated well into 2021.