Creative growth strategies are helping banks with $10B to $50B of assets — including Webster and TCF — improve profitability. These ‘tweeners’ deal with tougher regulations than smaller competitors without the scale larger ones have to absorb the expense.
Community banks, big commercial banks and Wall Street investment houses are finding common ground in small-business loan funds that help Main Street, minimize potential losses on credit extended to young companies and sometimes lead to new business prospects.
Ann Marie Mehlum, who has joined a lending platform called SmartBiz Loans after stints as a community banker and an SBA official, says the combination of fintech and old-fashioned banking could bring back small-business loans under $100,000.
The fired chief executive of a New York-based trade group representing asset-backed lenders has sued the group, claiming he was wrongfully dismissed after raising concerns about conflicts of interest and a lack of auditor independence.
Lower tax rates won’t be unqualified good news for banks, as a lower rate would reduce the savings that they get from making tax-exempt loans to cities, counties and other governmental agencies.
