The Small Business Administration’s loan processing platform went down Monday for as long as four hours, temporarily halting the ability of lenders to process loans for small business owners seeking relief from the impact of the coronavirus.

The central bank is creating a facility to provide financing to banks participating in the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said that $349 billion will likely not be enough meet loan demand from small businesses seeking a lifeline to help them weather the economic downturn brought on by the coronavirus outbreak.

Many bankers find crucial parts of the SBA effort to help businesses hurt by the coronavirus outbreak to be unclear and onerous. If those issues go unresolved, participation could suffer.

Commercial real estate lenders have to consider not only how they’ll weather the COVID-19 downturn, but whether worker and consumer habits have changed for good.

Draw-downs on C&I credit more than quadrupled in a seven-day period ended March 25. Lenders may try to rein them in if the crisis drags out, but legal precedent isn’t on their side.

While LendingClub, Prosper, Avant and SoFi are giving existing borrowers breaks in the short term, they're considering tightening credit as the coronavirus outbreak threatens to drag the economy into a recession.

The regulation issued late on Tuesday directs state-regulated financial institutions to give mortgage borrowers at least 90 days of forbearance if they can show financial hardship resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. It also requires banks and credit unions to provide relief on ATM fees and credit card late payment fees.

Regulators' decision to delay reporting for troubled-debt restructurings should allow banks and credit unions to be more nimble modifying loans impaired by the coronavirus outbreak.

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.

GreatAmerica Financial in Iowa is looking to form a bank so it can offer more products to small and midsize companies.

The North Carolina company will hold onto the loans after the Fed's decision to slash interest rates.

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 deal for Boston-based Radius would be the first in history in which an online lender buys a mainstream bank.

Regulators are alarmed about banks' rising exposure to high-risk corporate credits and want more data on how they would perform in a recession.

Mortgages, auto loans and credit cards should perform well for the next two quarters. Beyond that, all bets are off.

Political uncertainty, sector-specific concerns as well as interest rate and labor trends may continue to depress commercial and industrial lending in the coming months.

Jason Gardner, founder and CEO of the card issuer Marqeta, discusses his experiences in starting up multiple fintechs and makes predictions for the new year.

New CEO Tim Wennes is counting on soon-to-launch digital offerings to boost consumer loans and deposits and playing up Santander's international reach in a bid to win over middle-market and corporate clients.