Small business lending

Commercial borrowers are leaning more often on alternative lenders that provide better speed and flexibility. At the same time, some banks are turning their backs on what has long been a bread-and-butter business.

The Cincinnati bank, which last month closed its purchase of the health care lender Provide, has raised its estimate for the unit’s 2021 loan volume.

Banks that embraced their role as a conduit for Paycheck Protection Program loans were likelier to take more risk elsewhere, according to new research by three accounting professors. “Anytime you have that amount of money flowing through the bank, it’s going to affect behavior,” one of the authors said.

The agency proposed reporting standards for any institution that originates 25 or more small-business loans a year. The measure would be especially burdensome for very small lenders and could limit credit access in underserved communities, critics say.

There's still a month left in the federal government's fiscal year, and the Small Business Administration's 504 program is perilously close to hitting its congressionally mandated funding limit for new loans.

On Mar. 31, 2021. Dollars in thousands.

The billionaire entrepreneur, Dallas Mavericks owner and "Shark Tank" co-host has always been outspoken. In a recent interview, he shared his thoughts on the shortcomings of the Paycheck Protection Program, the problem with bank consolidation and the future of cryptocurrency.

It may seem odd that Citigroup has created an online lending platform that matches small businesses with minority-run and other banks for no financial benefit. Yet company executives and observers say it makes sense.

The combination of American Express and its fintech subsidiary Kabbage is starting to bear fruit at an opportune time, as credit card companies increasingly expand their range of products to boost revenue.

On Mar. 31, 2021. Dollars in thousands.

Borrowers with Paycheck Protection Program loans of up to $150,000 will be able to apply for forgiveness directly through a government portal if their lender opts in. Industry representatives welcomed the move.

The best performers in our annual ranking of banks with $10 billion to $50 billion of assets benefited from a big lending push. But like their peers, the top 10 as a group saw their profitability slip last year compared with 2019.

Derek Ellington will replace Steve Troutner, who is stepping down for personal reasons. He will report to Mary Mack, the bank's CEO of consumer and small-business banking.

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

Mortgages and wealth management generated fees that gave top midtiers an edge, as the pandemic halted most lending outside of the Paycheck Protection Program.

First Women's Bank received approval from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. this week and is set to open its doors in the fall. It is the first new bank to be chartered in Illinois since 2010.

Native American reservations have some of the country's highest concentrations of unbanked households. But tribes are finding ways to get their members access to capital — with or without banks.

Though the Paycheck Protection Program is winding down, the Small Business Administration has prolonged several other pandemic relief programs. Community banks can help local businesses sort through their options.

The Biden administration will award $1.25 billion to hundreds of community lenders in an effort to speed the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, Vice President Kamala Harris will announce on Tuesday.

Just as small and midsize businesses had to adapt to survive the coronavirus emergency, lenders need to adopt new underwriting practices and technologies that modernize how they evaluate borrowers' creditworthiness.