Commercial lending

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.

There’s been a flurry of interest in so-called fallen angels recently as investors seek alternatives to the ultra-low yields on high-grade debt.

The bank — which said it has been upgrading its loan operations platform after a review it undertook last year — said it mistakenly transmitted the payments after an employee didn't manually select the correct system options in its loan operation software.

While cutting losers to buy winners is an age-old investment proposition, the Covid-19 pandemic may create even more openings than the past crises that became bonanzas for real estate investors.

The industry’s turmoil, including 'strategic options' being pursued by corporate debt obligors like Transocean and Seadrill, has sparked the biggest wave of restructurings since 2017, when the effects of the last oil price downturn reverberated through the industry.

American Express isn't acquiring any loans in its deal for the online small-business lender. Here's what it is getting.

The bank has begun briefing regulators about how it mistakenly sent payments to creditors of Revlon, the financially strapped cosmetics company. Citi has also filed a lawsuit against Brigade Capital Management seeking to recoup $175 million it sent to Brigade on Revlon's behalf.

The card giant could pay $850 million in cash for the online small-business lender, according to a person familiar with the talks.

San Francisco-based Theorem is marketing its first-ever securitization of online, unsecured consumer loans culled from the LendingClub origination platform using machine-learning technology.

Alternative lenders like Apollo, Ares and HPS are increasingly providing larger loans to borrowers, and potentially taking away share from the leveraged loan and high-yield bond markets.

The global pandemic and stalled trade negotiations have discouraged farmers and ranchers from taking on more debt and made banks uneasy about extending more credit.

Besides reauthorizing the Paycheck Protection Program, Congress should upgrade the loan forgiveness process, offer businesses the chance to take out a second loan and ensure the pricing satisfies lenders, bankers say.

The Conference of State Bank Supervisors, banking law scholars and consumer advocacy organizations filed amicus briefs siding with the New York State Department of Financial Services in its court battle with the federal regulator.

Many commercial property owners are locked out of existing coronavirus relief by financing terms that bar them from taking new loans. Under a House bill, they would receive government-backed equity investments.

One of the risk factors was lower expected values that Moody's and S&P applied for vehicles at the end of the contract period, in comparison to prior Ford vehicle-lease securitizations.

While rival banks reported increases in loans and deposits, thanks largely to their participation in the Paycheck Protection Program, State Street and Bank of New York Mellon saw their balance sheets shrink in the second quarter.

But several still remain on watch for potential downgrades as the ratings agency assesses the near-term impact on marketplace lenders as federal support for consumers could be nearing an end.