Commercial lending

The amount of distressed assets rose 10% in the first three months of the year, according to a new report from MSCI Real Assets.

The American Bankers Association's Economic Advisory Committee said access to loans is likely to further soften, while defaults and credit losses could increase in the second half of the year.

The American Bankers Association's credit conditions index remained near historic lows despite a slight uptick in the most recent quarter. Pessimism pervaded the outlook for both business and consumer lending.

When the once-ubiquitous interest rate goes away at the end of June, some businesses that have older loans may see a sudden jump in their payments. Banks, lawyers and business leaders are doing last-minute work to avoid that scenario.

About 17% of the 1,064 loans in the collateral pool had been securitized in two previous Newtek Small Business Loan Trust transactions, from 2016 and 2017, specifically.

The beleaguered bank said it is selling 74 loans totaling about $2.6 billion to a subsidiary of Kennedy-Wilson Holdings. The move is part of a plan to pursue strategic asset sales, trim expenses and shore up its balance sheet.

Small and regional banks have been rocked by deposit outflows following the demise of Silicon Valley Bank, raising concerns that will crimp their ability to provide finance to borrowers.

Lenders are bracing for more companies to fall behind on their loan payments. That could create more opportunities for banks to dispose of these nonperforming credits through an Article 9 sale.

Some new loan sales, as well as transactions designed to extend the due dates on existing debt, have also been pushed to the sidelines.

Bank underwriters across the U.S. and Europe are pulling sales and pausing future ones amid tepid demand. Barclays Plc recently shelved a pair of loans for Ineos Enterprises and Russell Investments, while JPMorgan Chase & Co. yanked a deal for Agiliti Health.