Commercial lending

The American Bankers Association's credit conditions index remained near historic lows despite a slight uptick in the most recent quarter. Pessimism pervaded the outlook for both business and consumer lending.

Lake Trust Credit Union in Brighton, Michigan, works with a development agency in Lansing to provide entrepreneurs with the financial and educational support they need to go it alone.

As it pushes the boundaries of its Midwestern footprint, the Columbus, Ohio-based bank is on pace to book more than 6,000 7(a) loans in SBA's 2023 fiscal year, the biggest total in seven years.

The pro football league plans to borrow up to $78 million over the next three years from 16 financial institutions, most of which are Black-owned or Black-led. It follows the lead of Major League Soccer, which announced a similar plan last year.

New loan acquisitions fell to their lowest level since 2020, but companies also grew shares of residential securities noticeably over the past three years, S&P Global Market Intelligence said.

Both loan demand and credit availability have contracted sharply, according to senior executives at several of the nation's largest banks. Their comments came against the specter of a potential recession.

When the once-ubiquitous interest rate goes away at the end of June, some businesses that have older loans may see a sudden jump in their payments. Banks, lawyers and business leaders are doing last-minute work to avoid that scenario.

Nearly two out of three finance chiefs surveyed by Piper Sandler said they were most worried about deposit costs in the aftermath of recent bank closures. Only 7% cited credit quality as their top reason for unease.