But some industry watchers are tempering expectations, saying that the language is too vague to know for sure if China is serious about introducing more foreign competition.

So far farm loans are holding up well, but bankers gathered at an industry conference this week said they are growing increasingly concerned that credit quality will weaken if the U.S. and China don’t reach a deal soon.

Amid concern that an economic downturn is approaching, Greg Carmichael said that banks need to focus on credit quality and not worry about expanding their balance sheets.

Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina called for the panel to hold a hearing on what he termed the danger that the Federal Reserve will meddle in the 2020 presidential election.

Competition for deposits is tight, the outlook for loan demand is uncertain, and regulatory relief is slow-moving. Yet community bankers are feeling better about the economy than they have in two years, a Promontory Interfinancial Network survey found.

China's decision to stop buying U.S. soybeans and let its currency depreciate raised the prospect of further interest rate cuts. That hurt banks slightly more than the rest of the market on what was a bad day for all equities.

The president said that European Central Bank President Mario Draghi would do a better job overseeing monetary policy in the U.S. than Fed Chairman Jerome Powell.