Commercial lending

An interbank loan market for community and regional banks, and backed by the Chicago Board Options Exchange, plans to open for business next month.

The American Bankers Association is deemphasizing the crisis-era fight over regulation and refocusing on the rising competitive threat posed by technology companies.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board's proposal to start loss reserves when a loan is originated is antithetical to banks making localized financial decisions.

CEOS of midsize banks traveled to Washington recently to seek relief from some of the more onerous regulations that they say are making it harder for them to compete with both big banks and largely unregulated marketplace lenders that are aggressively going after their customers.

Marketplace lenders are still so new that their business model is untested and unproven, raising fears both for consumers and the industry at large, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. officials and several bankers said Thursday.

Raj Date, the consumer bureau's former deputy director, said Thursday regulators need to be flexible, responsive and use discretion when it comes to dealing with financial technology startups.

As oil and gas prices keep sliding, banks with large energy loan books are doing what they can to manage ever-increasing risk. It's not just about reducing exposure; many are also working closely with oil, gas and other energy clients to help them raise capital or boost cash flow. Here's a sampling what bankers said on third-quarter earnings calls about the state of their energy books and what, in some cases, they are doing to prevent clients from defaulting on their loans.

The relevant question is no longer whether new regulations will come for the fast-growing industry, but what form they should take.

Banking regulators have been coy about whether they approve serving marijuana businesses, but lately one regional Fed bank has taken a strong position against the practice. But there are nearly three dozen Fed-supervised banks serving pot companies — one of many seeming inconsistencies in an opaque and confusing regulatory policy.

Revenue growth outpaced rising expenses at OnDeck Capital during the third quarter, allowing the fast-growing small-business lender to turn a profit.

Los Angeles-based marketplace lender AssetAvenue has named a new chief executive.

Banks have added so much capital in the past several years that they're better protected from declines in real estate values than they were before the financial crisis.

Now the question is: will online portals become a significant source of financing for U.S. small businesses, or will red tape get in the way?

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.

Lending Club rebounded to profitability in the third quarter as revenue growth at the nation's largest marketplace lender outpaced an increase in operating expenses.

Antonio Weiss, a counselor to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, called Thursday for greater transparency in the pricing of online small-business loans.

Wells Fargo has eliminated foreign transaction fees for transactions made by small businesses made outside the U.S.

"At some point there will probably be a government agency telling us to do this. So why not start now?" says MultiFunding CEO Ami Kassar.

Customers Bancorp in Wyomissing, Pa., is building an online borrowing experience for its small-business clients.

The ease of comparing rates online will make it hard for industry pioneers like Lending Club and OnDeck to keep generating high-margin loans, some observers believe.