Commercial lending

Southwest Bancorp in Stillwater, Okla., has cut ties with its chief banking officer and promoted three executives.

The best commercial lenders take enough interest in their clients to speak up when they see credit as not serving the long-term success of a company.

Washington Federal is the latest bank to partner with a tech company in an effort to streamline online loan applications.

Eagle Bancorp in Bethesda, Md., has added equipment leasing to its lineup of commercial banking products.

Bankers appear set to get their long-awaited rate rise, but the top executives of the biggest banks still have lukewarm expectations for the coming year, according to forecasts laid out by the top brass from JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, PNC and others.

Small-business owners' optimism about the economy is dwindling, which casts a dark cloud over banks' lending efforts, according to a new survey conducted by Wells Fargo and Gallup.

Why a small bank like First Mid-Illinois ignored the conventional wisdom — 'Commercial banks buy property/casualty firms.' 'Private-equity will outbid you.' 'Leave the innovation to the big guys.' — and bought a retail health-insurance agency.

Ex-banker Frank Rotman, now a venture capitalist who focuses on marketplace lending, has a unique vantage point on the competition for small-business loans between banks and Web-based upstarts, as well as on both sides' strengths and weaknesses.

Banks face a growing risk of complacency given years of improved credit quality. They should periodically evaluate the status of loans and underlying collateral to make sure they proactively manage risk.

ChoiceOne Bank in Sparta, Mich., has appointed Bradley Henion chief lending officer.