Credit standards for commercial loans to medium and large firms showed some signs of easing over the last three months of 2017, even though demand stayed relatively unchanged.
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s semiannual report on industry risk said tougher competition between banks, leading to looser underwriting, could arise from the economic expansion.
The Arkansas company has spent two years trying to reassure nervous investors and analysts that it can rapidly book real estate loans using conservative practices.
Consumers’ desire to shop online is creating huge demand for distribution centers and forcing property owners to think creatively about redeveloping vacant retail space. Meanwhile, hundreds of billions of dollars will be spent rebuilding areas hard hit by hurricanes and wildfires.
We never promised the news would be good for all these community bankers, and it wasn’t. One couldn’t stop a failure, and another quit soon after an acquisition. The rest have their banks at different points on the comeback trail.
A bill that would ease Basel III capital requirements on commercial real estate loans could level the playing field between depository and nonbank lenders and spur more construction lending if it passes in the Senate.
