Commercial lending

C2FO, the operator of an online marketplace for small-business financing, announced a $40 million equity funding round led by a Singapore investment firm.

Farmer Mac reported higher second-quarter profit, citing an increase in the value of financial derivatives and hedged assets.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is trying to "supercharge" its process for reviewing financial innovations in an effort to keep pace with a glut of new products inside and outside the banking system.

Community Trust in Ruston, La., took the rare step of replacing its hodgepodge legacy core system. The move should cut processing costs in half. In the meantime, the bank's taking a lot of calls from confused customers.

Rejiggering the credit-scoring system won’t do much to expand credit access. Instead, banks and financial services companies should start thinking about new ways to evaluate the situational factors that influence borrowers’ reliability.

Capital One Financial is in exclusive talks with General Electric to buy the company's health-care finance unit, people familiar with the matter said.

Lending Club and Funding Circle are among the firms pledging to adhere to a range of self-imposed standards in small-business lending.

BB&T will dismiss most of a 21-person small business lending group who had been employed by Susquehanna Bancshares.

The next financial crisis will probably originate from online lenders, hedge funds or other unregulated entities that are taking on some of the greatest credit risks, CIT Group Inc. Chief Executive Officer John Thain said.

In the worst-case scenario, they'll get state licenses and reprice a portion of their loans, but executives of the highflying industry say they doubt such steps will be necessary.

Lending Club reported a small quarterly loss on Tuesday as the marketplace lender stuck with its strategy of pursuing growth rather than near-term profitability.

The first stress tests for regional banks show loan losses closely in line with the postcrisis period. However, an independent analysis suggests losses likely would be even higher.

Foundation Bank in Bellevue, Wash., has taken a $2.9 million charge tied to a fraudulent loan and plans to report a quarterly loss later this week.

Heavier second-quarter marketing expenses at OnDeck Capital highlight a concern throughout the marketplace lending industry: the high cost of customer acquisition as competition from banks and nonbank startups heats up.

Many online small-business lenders worry that future regulations could stymie innovation in this fast-growing industry. But well-designed requirements would simply ensure that online lenders can offer adequate borrower protections without giving up market share.

The small-business lender's shift 18 months ago to a marketplace player that sells loans to investors paid off handsomely in the second quarter.

An estimated 12 million Americans buy used cars through informal channels each year. Those consumers are underserved by traditional auto lenders, says Lending Club Chief Executive Renaud Laplanche.

A high percentage of loans to oil and gas firms are large and syndicated. As a result, more shared loans are becoming problematic for participating lenders.

An NCUA proposal to make credit unions more competitive commercial lenders is drawing fire from community bankers, who say it invites risky underwriting, unfair competition and a repeat of the thrift crisis.

Marlin Business Bank has launched a new site to compete with alternative lenders such as OnDeck and Kabbage, which specialize in providing quick and convenient access to small-business credit.