Commercial lending

Banks are committing financing for a slew of new deals, while investors clamor for syndicated loans as interest rates rise.

Banking and credit union regulators encouraged compassionate treatment of customers in Hawaii communities hit by wildfires. They also vowed to grant expedited approvals of temporary banking facilities, be flexible in compliance matters and provide other support to financial institutions.

JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and TD Auto Finance all see opportunities in providing financing to dealers for inventory, the purchase of competitors and the addition of infrastructure for electric vehicle sales. Two other banks recently said they're exiting the business, which could provide a further opening.

Community bankers anticipate that interest rates could soon level off and the broader economy may avert a downturn as a result. If that forecast proves true, lenders could minimize credit losses and enjoy stronger loan demand than they had expected earlier in the year.

The product, which is both popular and controversial in consumer financial services, is attracting interest from merchants that don't want to pay high interest for a traditional loan.

Moody's said higher funding costs, a potential decline in bank capital and growing risk in the commercial real-estate industry prompted many of the downgrades.

Many small-business lenders have less than 18 months to figure out how to gather and report on an extensive array of data.

Much of the industry is slimming down, with some banks calling it quits on riskier sectors and selling loans they no longer want. The trend is particularly prominent at regional banks that are preparing to comply with new capital rules.

Critics complain a bill sponsored by the leaders of the Senate Small Business Committee would reinstate a moratorium on participation in the SBA's flagship 7(a) program by nondepository lenders. Supporters of the bill argue that widening the program could invite more fraud.

The Federal Reserve said that banks reported tighter standards and continued weak demand for loans in the second quarter, extending a trend that began before recent stresses in the banking sector emerged.

A federal judge has temporarily stopped the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from implementing its small-business data collection rule until after the Supreme Court rules next year on whether the bureau's funding is constitutional.

Large financial institutions have "meaningful but manageable" loan volumes to industries that are most likely to see declines in output and profit after climate-friendly regulations take hold, new research shows.

Stock markets have shot up as investors grow hopeful that the United States will avoid a recession. But nearly 3 in 4 community bankers are less optimistic that the Fed will achieve its mission of reducing inflation without causing a downturn, a survey from IntraFi found.

The bank said it would continue to make multifamily loans to current customers that have depository or other bank relationships. The move comes amid rising concerns about the impact of high interest rates on the apartment sector.

The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee voted nearly unanimously to advance a bill that would halt a plan by the Small Business Administration to open up some of its loan programs to fintech companies.

Several community banks noted an uptick in problem loans in second-quarter earnings reports. Small lenders should brace for more of this, industry observers noted.

The Wall Street giant has more than $14 billion of real estate investments, and it took a $1.15 billion hit during the second quarter from writedowns of those bets.

While credit unions are being cautious with this lending line, some see opportunities to grow their commercial books amid setbacks at big-name banks such as Wells Fargo.

Solopreneurs are the new engine of business growth in the U.S., and banks and financial services regulators need to recognize their importance.

The bank's allowance for losses on commercial real estate loans jumped to $3.6 billion in the second quarter — up 64% from a year earlier. The negative forecast could portend trouble for smaller banks that have bigger exposure to the office sector.