Banking

Fitch expects a majority of European CLO junior notes to be placed on a potential downgrade watch due to enhanced evaluation for coronavirus-related stresses.

Lenders must balance the financial risk of extending credit without explicit backing from the Small Business Administration against the reputational risk of delaying aid for needy borrowers.

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

There’s no reason to punish companies for failing to see a history-changing, once-in-a-century pandemic, or anticipate the shutdowns that would result.

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.

ABS participants saw markets freeze and were bracing for worse when federal aid provide a short-term respite. The question now: How much trust can anyone put in the medium-term and beyond?

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.

For years, regulators have tried to make the financial system safer by blocking banks from taking on the extreme leverage that almost toppled the industry in 2008. Turns out, the risks just moved.

If Capitol Hill plans another round of stimulus, Democrats could have more leverage to demand steps such as suspending overdraft fees or placing a temporary cap on consumer lending rates.

The agency said lenders should avoid reporting delinquent payments to credit bureaus for consumers who have sought payment relief due to the pandemic.

Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mark Calabria said a virus-induced financial crisis might give rise to more delinquencies and foreclosures than the 2007 subprime mortgage meltdown.

Speculative-grade borrowers are different because they made a conscious choice to take on more debt in the hopes of generating bigger returns for equity holders. They did this even though they knew it would make them more vulnerable in an economic downturn.

Weak demand for oil and gas, brought on by the economic fallout of the coronavirus outbreak, has raised concerns of energy firms missing loan payments or even going bankrupt. Here’s how banks and regulators are trying to get ahead of potential problems.

The 2008 package proved some banks were too big to fail. But the rushed $2.2 billion stimulus shows now any company can be bailed out.

The agency has relaxed some reporting requirements and joined other regulators in encouraging banks to help borrowers, but pressure is building on the bureau to do more to aid consumers suffering financial hardship.

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.

Some corporations are willing to oblige, turning instead to new, pricier term loans or revolving credit lines rather than tapping existing ones, industry officials say.

Direct lenders around the world are talking with borrowers about easing interest payments, waiving penalties and relaxing covenants as they assess the growing damage to their portfolios caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

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.