Community banking

A full rebound won’t occur until next year at the earliest because of the slow vaccine rollout, most executives at small banks said in a new survey. Last summer, more than half expected a turnaround this year.

Transportation and clean-energy upgrades could create significant new lending opportunities, but some observers fear the government will foot the bill through a special tax on banks and other financial firms.

In his new book, the Princeton lecturer and financier J.C. de Swaan contemplates what it means to be virtuous in a financial system that prioritizes profits and shareholder returns.

First Foundation is relocating its corporate headquarters to Dallas, where the tax burden is lighter and it sees more opportunity to beef up lending, add wealth management clients and pursue acquisitions of community banks.

Community banks say Vizaline’s software, which converts property descriptions into images, helps them catch errors before they close real estate loans without resorting to expensive land surveys. But traditional surveyors say the results are of questionable value.