Commercial lending

Isabella Guzman, the administrator of the Small Business Administration, skipped a congressional hearing called to discuss the wide disparity in the level of fraud calculated by her staff and a parallel examination conducted by SBA's Office of the Inspector General.

The Kentucky company says its newly purchased equipment financing unit will strengthen its presence in the market for leasing office furniture, computers and other lower-cost essentials that customers will still buy in an unpredictable economy.

Smaller regional banks kept funding costs in check and relied on robust noninterest income to earn their spot as a 10 top-performing bank on American Banker's annual ranking.

A new inspector general report suggests that grifts were more pervasive than has previously been reported. The Small Business Administration, which drew blame in the watchdog report, took issue with the findings.

Cullen/Frost, Columbia, Synovus, Valley National and Associated all have relatively large exposures to the office sector, which has been hurt by the popularity of remote work. Their executives point to factors that offer protection, including the geographic composition of their portfolios and the types of buildings that serve as collateral.

The bank hasn't managed debt sales in Texas since a measure took effect in 2021 that bars governmental entities from working with companies that "discriminate" against firearms businesses. BofA's "current risk-based framework and policies" can comply with that law, a lawyer for the bank has told the state.

The amount of distressed assets rose 10% in the first three months of the year, according to a new report from MSCI Real Assets.

Trucking companies saw a boom during COVID as homebound consumers spent big on goods that needed to be shipped. Now comes the bust, with some firms going bankrupt or struggling to pay back their loans.

The construction manager for the beleaguered New Jersey mall is suing JPMorgan Chase & Co. to recover more than $30 million of unpaid work and accrued interest.

The American Bankers Association's Economic Advisory Committee said access to loans is likely to further soften, while defaults and credit losses could increase in the second half of the year.

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.