CRE

The Bethesda, Maryland-based company called its success in luring a team from Capital One as its most "newsworthy" move to date executing a strategy aimed at diversifying its lending operation.

Brian Brooks, former acting Comptroller of the Currency in the first Trump administration and advisor to the President-elect's transition team, said new agency heads will open up commercial real estate lending, approach credit risk management differently and privatize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s Q3 Quarterly Banking Profile report highlighted net bank income falling 8.6%, but also showed slow delinquency growth in commercial real estate and core income metrics improving across the banking sector.

The Financial Stability Oversight Council's annual report underscores mounting challenges in commercial real estate, escalating cyber threats, and regulatory gaps in third-party services and stablecoins, urging stronger oversight and legislative action.

In its semiannual supervision and regulation report, the Federal Reserve flagged climbing loan delinquencies and a rising number of large bank citations for governance and controls.

The added capital will help the New Jersey-based regional bank reduce its commercial real estate footprint faster and give it wiggle room to grow elsewhere, analysts said.

As new hires generate low-cost deposits and higher-yielding business loans, the New York company's net interest margin is widening. Dime executives signaled the hiring will resume in 2025.

First Foundation in Dallas recently got a $228 million capital injection led by Fortress Investment Group. Now it's announced plans to pivot away from its heavy focus on multifamily loans, which lost value as interest rates rose.

For at least the fifth consecutive quarter, the Providence, Rhode Island, company increased its allowance for credit losses on general office loans, which continue to be a problem area for banks.

First Foundation will use the large investment to shrink its multifamily loan portfolio, which has weighed down its earnings since interest rates began rising.

Large banks, particularly those with over $100 billion in assets, see increasing supervisory shortcomings related to interest rate and liquidity risks, governance and risk control issues, and cite cybersecurity, CRE values, and remote work trends as potential hazards in the future.

Federal Reserve Governor Lisa D. Cook highlighted concerns over private credit growth, commercial real estate distress and escalating cyber threats in remarks on financial stability at the Brookings Institution Wednesday.

OakNorth Bank in London is eager to utilize the data it's collected from providing risk management software to American banks over the past five years. Its growth plans include eventually acquiring a charter here and making commercial real estate loans.

In talks with OCC officials, "it became obvious that we would not gain near-term approval given their recent experience with multifamily and CRE positions," FirstSun CEO Neal Arnold says. The companies announced other revisions to their deal, too.

The New York-based bank says it will push its concentration of commercial real estate loans below 400% of risk-based capital over the next two years and focus more on C&I.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen didn't directly address the turmoil at New York Community Bank, and said that while some smaller institutions could be hit by a changing commercial real estate market, she doesn't anticipate these mortgages will become a systemic risk.

Total loans at U.S. banks with less than $10 billion of assets grew by 1.9% in the third quarter, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data. That was a slowdown from the previous quarter, and concerns about the viability of commercial real estate lending could dampen activity further.

Stress tests suggest systemically important depositories could weather current risks. Meanwhile, single-family arrears remain low, but that business could be impacted.

The Federal Reserve released its semiannual financial stability report highlighting elevated asset values, funding issues and pockets of leverage as top concerns.

Bank of America had a 55% increase in new clients in May, and the lender is planning to bulk up staffing to keep up with demand.