John Reosti

Lenders are rallying around a bill from Sen. Rubio that would give them access to another $50 billion under the 7(a) program. It could face obstacles in the House, where a bill favors direct lending by the Small Business Administration.

Though the agency plans to give more credit unions authority to issue subordinated debt, limited investor appetite and other factors could hamper activity.

Lawmakers have also criticized the agency's decision to create qualifying standards for farmers and other small businesses.

The Delaware company, best known for issuing prepaid cards, has ramped up commercial real estate securitizations. The shift promises to deliver big fees, but it could also cause headaches if defaults spike.

Seed, a San Francisco startup, has developed a platform that lets small businesses quickly open accounts online. That's an important feature for Cross River as it courts more fintech clients.

Urfer co-founded a business with the banking automation pioneer John Diebold, worked for Chase Manhattan and other major banks, and played an important role in the Nixon administration, phasing out exchange controls.

Lenders are glad the agency worked swiftly through a backlog of paperwork, but they're worried funds will get cut off if the government closes again.

Executives at Key pushed back against doubts over a deal for Laurel Road Bank’s digital lending platform so late in the credit cycle, arguing that its customers are prime borrowers with high incomes.

The tricky part: raising awareness without appearing to take advantage of borrowers at a time when agencies like the SBA are out of commission.

Live Oak Bancshares became an SBA juggernaut by making loans, selling them and making more. With economic conditions changing, it is retaining more credits.