Commercial lending

Deals, trends and research in structured finance and asset-backed securities for the week of Sept. 4-10

Some of the cures were the result of short-term remedies and could reverse as relief measures end.

A three-month drought in CRE CLO issuance came to an end this week with new deals from Exantas and A10 Capital.

The ratings agency reports that the MPL industry might reckon with a potential spike in defaults as borrowers are rolled out of two- and three-month COVID-19 hardship programs.

The Senate Banking Committee met Wednesday to review central bank lending facilities such as the Main Street Lending Program, which provides bank-issued loans to middle-market firms. But some lawmakers on the panel said the focus of pandemic relief has been misplaced.

Bankers and fintech executives want lawmakers returning to Washington to focus on streamlined forgiveness and a second round of Paycheck Protection Program loans for small businesses.

Fintech lenders that reported a surge in missed payments at the start of the pandemic have seen credit quality rebound substantially since. But credit performance could still deteriorate if high unemployment persists and Congress fails to enact more relief measures.

More than $1 billion in coronavirus relief went to small businesses that received multiple loans and a congressional subcommittee analyzing the Paycheck Protection Program says it has seen evidence of fraud in thousands more loans.

This year has already seen a glut of corporate failures: there were 177 U.S. bankruptcy filings year-to-date by companies with over $50 million in liabilities, according to data compiled by Bloomberg

The former SoFi chief’s latest startup, Figure, has created what it says is a transparent marketplace for buying and selling assets. Some banks have embraced the technology, but other blockchain projects have stalled because lenders don't want rivals to see their data.