But overexpansion, trade wars and escalating wages for drivers could cut the trip short for banks that have aggressively pursued business with large and midsize trucking companies.
It's a fickle industry, given the uncertainty over the Affordable Care Act and government reimbursements, but opportunities in lending to medical practices and device manufacturers make it hard to resist, bankers say.
Private equity firms are making loans to midsize businesses and online banks are winning deposits by paying 2% interest; Goldman hires a veteran M&A banker.
Good credit analysts are in short supply, says David Nicholson, a senior v.p. of commercial lending at a community bank. But fair warning for job seekers: Only dogged questioners who can think critically need apply because vetting business borrowers is as much art as science.
Joe Baratta, Blackstone’s global head of private equity, said that he was drawn to the Sacramento. Calif., company because he believes its technology offers lenders a more efficient way to find customers.
Good old-fashioned commercial credit analysts are a dying breed, David Nicholson says. Community banks need them to stay competitive in C&I, but training courses have been cut back. So he’s on a mission to teach as many students as he can.
If President Trump’s tariffs on steel and other products stay in place long, big U.S. importers would be hurt and pass on the pain to their midsize and small-business suppliers — which are the bread and butter of commercial lending.
