Commercial lending

A Senate bill passed late Thursday provides additional funding but it also requires enhanced reporting on lending and credit quality from SBA. The measure is headed to the House.

If the decision by the New York appeals court is upheld, banks and other lenders could have trouble finding buyers for credit card and other consumer loans.

First Niagara Financial Group in Buffalo, N.Y., reported lower second-quarter profit as the cost of technology improvements and lower securities yields offset loan growth.

One of the biggest U.S. mortgage lenders is looking to disrupt the disruptors in the market for peer-to-peer loans.

City National Bank in Los Angeles said Thursday that its second-quarter profit rose 5% from the same period last year, driven by heavier demand for commercial loans.

F.N.B. in Pittsburgh reported higher second-quarter profit as it booked more commercial real estate and business loans.

The federal government's first broad inquiry into the fast-growing peer-to-peer loan industry raises several important questions, including whether banks will lobby for a clampdown on these lightly regulated competitors.

Citigroup Inc. is preparing to bundle more than $300 million of loans originated through Prosper Marketplace Inc. into securities as Wall Street helps fuel the online-lending industry, people familiar with the deal said.

Business First Bank will use state tax credits to renovate a historic building in downtown Baton Rouge, La., and move its headquarters to the facility.

Regional banks are reporting strong commercial loan growth as they have for so many quarters. Yet this time it looks like more of the growth is coming from existing clients, and there are also some early warnings about credit challenges.

Fifth Third Bancorp in Cincinnati reported a decline in second-quarter profit, as the costs to close branches offset loan growth.

Citizens Financial Group in Providence, R.I., showed strong consumer loan growth in the second quarter but fell slightly short of analysts' quarterly estimates as its margins declined.

Zions Bancorp. in Salt Lake City reported a second-quarter loss after selling the remainder of its portfolio of collateralized debt obligations.

What asset threshold? Community banks may not be required by law to conduct stress tests, but about one in three have been asked by their examiners to do so, according to a recent survey of banks.

Signature Bank in New York hired a BankUnited executive and four salesmen and underwriters for its new direct commercial-vehicle financing business.

Marlette Funding is set to announce Friday that it has raised $75 million from investors including a fund affiliated with the Invus Group, a private-equity firm, and Navient Corp. The money will mainly be used to keep a portion of the loans Marlette originates through its website, MyBestEgg.com.

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First Niagara Financial Group in Buffalo, N.Y. has hired Peggy Yankovich to lead the commercial card and payments business of its treasury management group. Yankovich had been the global head of corporate cards, global payments & cash management at HSBC.

Upstart, a marketplace lender founded by ex-Google employees, has more than doubled its funding after receiving an investment from a group led by activist hedge-fund investor Dan Loeb. The company plans to use the funds to improve its underwriting analytics.

The Treasury Department launched an inquiry into the marketplace lending industry on Thursday, seeking information on its business models, customers and whether such firms should be forced to keep some "skin in the game."