Commercial lending

Regions Financial in Birmingham, Ala., posted a double-digit gain in its first-quarter profit as strong revenue growth more than offset continued deterioration in its energy-loan portfolio.

Bank earnings season is just getting underway, but a consistent theme around energy lending is already emerging — credit quality is going to get worse and weigh on profits the rest of the year.

B of A is normally thought of as a U.S. economic bellwether, but it has substantial operations overseas, and its international performance last quarter provided a painful reminder of that fact.

A month after introducing the Express Business Loan for its customers, Eastern Bank in Boston says it is in talks with several banks across the U.S. to license the product.

Suddenly, online lenders are struggling, or paying higher prices, to attract the institutional money that has fueled their rapid rise.

Affirm, a three-year-old online lender that finances consumer purchases at the point of sale, has raised a $100 million in equity funding to help it boost distribution and develop new products and services.

The partnership with OnDeck will allow the megabank to approve and fund loans in as little as a day, according to CEO Jamie Dimon. Meanwhile, OnDeck is eyeing similar partnerships with other banks.

Citigroup is no longer buying loans off the Prosper Marketplace platform and repackaging them into securities, a person familiar with the matter said.

The New York company makes two- to three-year term loans of between $3,000 and $25,000. It is seeking to distinguish itself from other digital lenders by targeting young adults who have limited credit histories.

The latest version of a new accounting standard for calculating loan-loss reserves would ease the burden on small banks, ICBA officials say. However, the ABA says it still fails to eliminate the biggest problem — asking lenders to predict the future.

Federal rules for technology-based firms providing the fast-moving sector certainty and consistency would be a benefit, even if rules are suboptimal.

The findings from the California Department of Business Oversight, which also included data on interest rates and delinquencies, could be a precursor to new state regulations.

The bank says the partnership will improve the online experience for borrowers. It is just the latest example of banks and online lenders teaming up to speed up decision-making and win over new customers.

BofI Holding is looking to make more acquisitions and its leader says he doesn’t think accusations from a former employee are unlikely to hold up a deal, even though they’ve dragged down the stock price.

BlueVine, an online business lender based in Palo Alto, Calif., is branching into unsecured lending.

Lending Club, Prosper Marketplace and Funding Circle are locking arms to create a new trade group that will represent the marketplace lending industry in Washington.

As more employers offer student loan repayment assistance to their workers, lenders that specialize in refinancing debt — like Citizens Financial and SoFi — see an opportunity to reel in more customers.

The former head of the FDIC has a longstanding interest in small-dollar consumer lending.

AmeriServ Financial in Johnstown, Pa., will record a first-quarter loss because an unnamed energy-sector client plans to liquidate under bankruptcy protection.

The payments pioneer is transforming its merchant cash advance into a business loan, a move that has significant legal and regulatory implications.