Coronavirus

Lenders and community groups say it's a mistake for the banking agencies to move forward during a national crisis. But Comptroller of the Currency Joseph Otting says updated Community Reinvestment Act rules would speed relief to neighborhoods and small businesses.

The coronavirus has caused millions of people to self isolate, leading Starling Bank to offer a connected debit card for people shopping on behalf of a family member or friend.

The Federal Reserve is temporarily altering the growth restriction it placed on Wells Fargo in 2018 so that the bank can make additional loans to small and midsize business that need funding to weather the coronavirus pandemic.

The lending facility is for companies with more than 500 employees that are disqualified from the relief program for small businesses and too small for federal loans reserved for larger companies.

Toronto-Dominion Bank is moving almost all of its call center employees from 15 different U.S. and Canadian cities to their homes in response to the coronavirus.

While reports of toilet paper and hand-sanitizer shortages may be common stories on the nightly news, one consumer goods category is flying off the shelves at an even faster pace, one never seen before – guns and ammunition, increasing payments volume for gun shops, a merchant category financial service providers traditionally avoid.

Spirit of Texas Bancshares named an interim CEO for Dean Bass, though the company said he is recovering.

Lawmakers want to expand the two-day old small business loan program by another $250 billion; Calabria says nonbanks are exaggerating their financial woes as forbearance claims rise.

The coronavirus has accelerated a move toward a public option for digital wallets that would tie government authentication to payment transactions. If successful, this could be the catalyst for a national digital identity system.

OakNorth helps banks analyze credit, identify pandemic-related risks and forecast borrower issues before they turn into defaults.

Measures that delay the Current Expected Credit Losses standard and reduce a community bank capital ratio are temporary, but the industry now sees an opening to argue that they should be permanent.

Firms that spread big-dollar deposits to community banks have seen a rush in demand as small businesses seek emergency loans to weather the coronavirus pandemic.

The Small Business Administration said lenders approved $71 billion in loans from the Paycheck Protection Program in less than five days.

Five Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee sent a letter to Director Kathy Kraninger calling the agency's response to COVID-19 “tepid and ineffectual at best.”

The share of borrowers seeking payment relief rose more than tenfold as COVID-19 concerns grew and authorities encouraged the practice, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The Small Business Administration’s loan processing platform went down Monday for as long as four hours, temporarily halting the ability of lenders to process loans for small business owners seeking relief from the impact of the coronavirus.

Soaring demand for loans from firms hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic has led to predictions that the program could soon run out of funds.

The coronavirus pandemic has halted nearly all spending on travel, leading Airbnb to the private equity market to shore up operations and mitigate a slump in rental revenue.

The regulator must speed up its capital reform efforts while taking immediate steps to reduce the examination burden.

The government should encourage community lenders to offer six-month loan repayment forbearances to struggling businesses before it’s too late.