Commercial lending

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.

Hours after Jamie Dimon alluded to the budding partnership, the banking giant and marketplace lender went public with their plans to launch an online lending platform in 2016.

The marketplace lender LoanDepot has securitized $150 million of its unsecured personal loans.

Peoples Bancorp in Marietta, Ohio, plans to increase reserves by $6.6 million to cover four commercial loans that it's moved to impaired status.

The prepaid card giant Green Dot is getting into the matchmaking business.

JPMorgan Chase plans a venture with a peer-to-peer lender to small businesses, Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon said.

Wells Fargo and Morgan Stanley became the latest big banks Monday to promise to cut their support for the coal industry in the name of reducing the pollution blamed for global warming.

The Portland, Ore., company is pitching its technology as a way for banks to enter digital lending without sacrificing their relationships with customers.

The online loan broker Fundera has published information about the interest rates paid by customers of its website, the latest development in a debate about transparency of the cost of credit provided by alternative lenders.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. Comments are excerpted from reader response sections of AmericanBanker.com articles and our social media platforms.

More banks are looking to buy commercial loans for reasons ranging from a dearth of organic opportunities to a need to diversify their asset mix. That surge in demand is creating an imbalance that benefits banks that have been able to make more loans.

Presuming that medium-sized banks that offer hedging products face added interest-rate-risk fears misses the full story.

Following a trail blazed by rival Social Finance, the two-year-old firm wants to expand beyond lending and offer consumers a broad array of financial products.

The state-owned Bank of North Dakota has approved a plan to provide $300 million in loans to farmers hit by low commodity prices or crop production.

The top Democrat on the House Small Business Committee is looking into what regulators are doing to protect small-business borrowers who use online lenders.

The Treasury Department has recently solicited input on how to improve marketplace lending. Here are four ways to help improve access to credit.