Economy

Personal-wealth businesses in the asset-management arm will be consolidated under the newly christened PNC Private Bank.

Ando, a challenger bank focused on sustainability, is helping Virginia Community Capital Bank expand its 5-year-old clean energy lending program by finding a bigger pool of depositors who are eager to fund solar loans.

Alabama Credit Union's agreement to buy Security Federal Savings Bank, a small commercial lender, renews lingering questions about whether small banks are prey for tax-advantaged credit unions.

First National Bank of Omaha and Centime, a Boston software company, have developed a tool that banks rarely offer small businesses: a portal that forecasts cash flow, helps entrepreneurs anticipate shortages and provides a ready source of credit when they fall short.

The agreement will allow the state-backed investment fund to meet surging financing demand for renewable energy projects. It is the largest-ever private fundraising deal by a green bank in the U.S.

The industry had tightened up last year in the face of COVID-19. But as the economic outlook improves, banks are now easing criteria amid heightened competition, according to the Federal Reserve’s survey of loan officers.

The smallest U.S. businesses — those with no employees other than the owner — struggled during the past year with 76% of the firms suffering a decline in revenue over 12 months, a new survey by regional Federal Reserve banks found.

Mutual banks tend to combine only with fellow mutuals. Spencer Savings' deal to acquire a stock-traded rival shows how the pressure to expand is forcing some buyers to get creative.

Community development financial institutions could do more lending in low-income neighborhoods if policymakers relaxed accounting rules, increased government support and encouraged more investment from hedge funds and other nonbank lenders.

With virus cases in its home state hitting their highest level since February, the San Antonio company declined to release reserves — a route that many banks took to boost their second-quarter profits.

A hike in guarantee fees charged to lenders for the companies’ backing of loans was due to expire this year, but lawmakers now want to extend it to raise $21 billion for the bipartisan package.

The Rhode Island bank is doubling down on the nation’s largest market after agreeing in May to buy dozens of branches from HSBC. Meanwhile, Investors Bancorp’s decision to sell itself underlines the challenges facing smaller regionals.

Combined with its pending acquisition of HSBC's East Coast branches, the deal would give the Rhode Island-based Citizens a top-10 deposit market share in metropolitan New York.

While federal regulators attempt to overhaul the Community Reinvestment Act for banks, Congress has shown little interest in applying it to other lenders. But recent moves in Illinois and New York have given some stakeholders hope that state lawmakers will pick up the slack.

Ensuring the safety and soundness of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan banks is the core responsibility of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. That shouldn't change now that the president has the authority to fire the FHFA's director at will.

The guarantor has for the first time proposed a risk-based capital requirement for companies not subject to other federal regulation. The industry says the plan, which would impose a heavy charge for servicing portfolios, could drive lenders away from government-backed programs.

The plan aims to cut monthly payments by roughly 25% for homeowners in government-backed mortgages who are negatively impacted by the pandemic.

Small Business Administration lenders have reported strong quarterly results, but those gains could evaporate later this year. Here’s why.

A flurry of activity in recent weeks has prompted chatter on earning calls about banks’ merger ambitions. While some CEOs bemoaned high asking prices, others said they are making more inquiries, identifying targets and, in some cases, closing in on deals.

Comerica, which focuses on the energy sector, reported strong payment trends last quarter, while M&T, which concentrates more on real estate, showed deterioration. The divergence reflects varying exposures to sectors hit hard by the COVID-19 recession.