Middle market

Morgan Stanley’s $7 billion purchase of Eaton Vance marks the latest wager that finding a big partner is critical to survival in the asset management industry.

Only one of the 118 loans bought by the Federal Reserve through Aug. 31 was close to the $250,000 minimum in the rescue program, aimed small to midsize businesses hurt by the pandemic.

Just eight loans had been made as of late July, six of them through a single community bank in Florida, according to new data on the federal rescue program for small and midsize companies hurt by the pandemic.

The company announced a slate of changes on Monday that includes the creation of a new position overseeing strategy for corporate and commercial banking.

Complaints to the CFPB hit an all-time high, with mortgage servicers getting much of the fire; Frank Bisignano details his priorities as Fiserv’s new CEO; lenders worry they could be stuck with billions in Paycheck Protection Program loans; and more from this week’s most-read stories.

The Fed has tweaked its Main Street Lending Program to stir more enthusiasm, including the creation of a third financing option for larger companies. Will it make a difference?

The Federal Reserve’s Main Street Lending Program is meant to be a lifeline for midsize businesses, but two weeks after its unveiling, those firms and their lenders remain on edge about what strings will be attached.

Bankers say they’re still trying to figure out if the Fed’s complex loan-buying vehicles will help them cater to the needs of midsize commercial customers hammered by the economic shock from the coronavirus outbreak.

Executives outlined changes in energy lending policies, said that the largest U.S. bank has only scratched the surface in middle-market credits and discussed their preparations in case of an economic slowdown.

The month of October brought some jumbo unitranche loans to the direct lending market. It also brought declines in the quality and terms of broader deals, according to some participants.