While the move is seen in a positive light, lenders and Trump administration officials are still angling to raise the loan-size limit within the agency's flagship 7(a) program.

The House passed housing legislation that includes a slightly pared-down institutional investor housing ban, as well as a raft of community bank measures.

The move comes about a year after rising delinquency levels prompted SBA to raise lender fees and tightened underwriting standards in its flagship 7(a) program.

House lawmakers modified a ban on big-money investors from purchasing single-family homes, broadening the exemptions for build-to-rent properties and eliminating requirements in a Senate version of the bill that affected investors divest their holdings.

As the Trump administration limits access to only U.S. citizens, volume in the Small Business Administration's flagship loan program is already trailing the 2025 pace. Experts predict that the tighter eligibility criteria will send more loans to nonbanks.

Delinquencies on credit-card debt mostly held steady at the end of last year, but certain groups of consumers are faring better than others.

American Banker's 2026 Predictions report finds that nonbank entities and check fraud are major threats to local banks in the coming months.

Top SBA lenders are warning about the impact of a prolonged shutdown. NewtekOne skipped providing fourth-quarter guidance after its CEO said the situation was too cloudy to forecast.

A number of banks experienced major increases in 7(a) lending activity during SBA's recently completed fiscal year, as program-wide loan volume topped $37 billion for the first time.

Orlando-based Cogent Bank has hired a team to finance single-tenant net lease properties, an asset class characterized by exceptional credit quality.

High interest rates and tough economic conditions played a role in the credit woes that overcame BayFirst Financial's small-dollar lending effort.

A July pickup in activity is just a start, experts say. The banking industry's drive for scale and greater efficiency is expected to drive a renewed wave of consolidation, pushing the institution count lower.

Calls for applications for a bank-specific program within the Community Development Financial Institution Fund have been delayed, raising the possibility that those funds are unspent before the appropriated money expires.

Community banks that could reel in cheap deposits while keeping a lid on expenses were able to outperform peers in 2024.

The Trump administration's fiscal 2026 budget carries over 7(a)'s $35 billion funding authority for a fourth consecutive year, even though lending has grown significantly

Citadel Credit Union is joining the small cadre of credit unions active in the Small Business Administration's biggest loan program as it seeks to expand in its small-business-rich footprint.

President Donald Trump's proposed budget would nix funding for Community Development Financial Institutions in minority-heavy areas while expanding it for rural areas.

President Donald Trump's executive order severely limiting the Treasury's Community Development Financial Institution Fund has thrown the industry into confusion as financial companies try to quantify the damage.

An executive order issued late Friday cut the Treasury Department Community Development Financial Institution Fund and other federal programs to their legal minimum.

Bankers' surveys of commercial clients have found that corporate decision-makers are less concerned about adverse tariff effects than nervous investors.