Commercial lending

Unity Bancorp is raking in money from holding and selling 7(a) loans, but don't expect the bank to extend its operations beyond New Jersey and New York. Management learned that lesson the hard way during the financial crisis.

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has signed a housing reform bill that will open the door for welfare recipients to use federal rent vouchers to purchase manufactured homes and become homeowners.

A BB&T unit that finances power equipment has a new president.

The private equity firm GTCR is interested in fintech companies looking to disrupt the status quo, so long as they have proved themselves and are paired with managers who have a long track record of success.

Regional banks need all the growth opportunities they can get, and Fifth Third says it has found one in catering to European businesses that need to expand in North America to escape domestic economic issues.

Iberiabank in Lafayette, La., neutralized the energy issues common to Gulf region lenders these days with a one-two punch of stronger fee income and robust, more profitable lending.

Some midsize banks found ways to widen margins, and Texas lenders said weakness in the energy sector has had little effect on the broader Texas economy. But can those trends hold up?

Hedgeable sees the peer-to-peer business and personal loans as an alternative to fixed-income investments that are traditionally offered through exchange-traded funds.

UMB Financial in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday reported higher than expected quarterly profits due to loan growth from a recent acquisition.

Problem technology credits drove down quarterly profits at Opus Bank in Irvine, Calif., which said it will pull back on tech lending even though that had become one of its most important niches.

Despite charging off millions of dollars of energy loans, the parent company of San Francisco-based MUFG Union Bank rode higher affiliate fees, securities gains and expense cutbacks to quarterly profit growth.

Banc of California's second-quarter profits soared on stronger lending and credit quality. The $10.2 billion-asset company increased net income 66% from a year earlier to $26.5 million, it said in a news release Thursday.

The Green Bay, Wis., company reported net income of $47 million in the second quarter, down about 1.5% from the same period last year. Associated's profitability was constrained by a $14 million provision for loan losses.

WASHINGTON — Two top Senate Democrats are calling on financial regulators to better examine the role of financial technology firms and how their activities interact with the existing regulatory structure.

In an acknowledgement that many U.S. small businesses cannot qualify for a bank loan, a federal agency that assists minority-owned firms is now partnering with a pair of online lenders.

BankUnited in Miami Lakes, Fla., on Wednesday reported higher quarterly profits, driven in part by an uptick in fee income from equipment-lease financing.

Panic around energy lending has subsided somewhat as oil prices have climbed and banks have reduced their overall exposure. But expect more trouble ahead if prices level off.

Synovus Financial in Columbus, Ga., reported higher second-quarter earnings on solid growth in revenue and loans for investment properties.

Comerica reported improvement in its energy-loan portfolio in the second quarter but charges related to a broad corporate restructuring took a bite out of overall profits.

CommonBond is doubling down on the education-debt market, which has been a pocket of tranquility in an otherwise volatile online lending sector.