Commercial lending

Alternative data "may improve the speed and accuracy of credit decisions and may help firms evaluate the creditworthiness of consumers," the agencies said.

Mullis has thrived as a traditional community banker, leading the redevelopment of historic buildings in a small, struggling Georgia town and successfully growing Morris Bank in a mostly rural market.

The Small Business Administration has told lawmakers it can reinvigorate its streamlined guarantee program by nearly tripling the maximum loan size. So far, Congress has been mum on the idea.

Many lenders are establishing a firm bottom on variable interest rates amid intense competition for commercial credits, rising deposit costs and the possibility that the Fed could take rates to unprecedented lows.

David Becker, who founded First Internet Bank two decades ago, says traditional banks' digital-only ventures are only making his bank look more mainstream.

Bank regulators are considering a bypass to the 2015 court ruling governing loan sales that would ultimately offer more credit options to entrepreneurs.

George Cook could have joined Somerset Trust, where his father is CEO. Instead, he founded Honeycomb Credit, a crowdfunding platform that competes with banks.

The payments company has loaned $5.5 billion to 275,000 small businesses, thanks to a data-driven process free from human interaction.

Nearly one in four bankers said that the tech giants pose the biggest competitive threat in the long term. But are those fears warranted?

The once-acquisitive company appears ready to come off the sidelines, but will it be as a buyer or seller?