He is, by Wall Street standards, a small-time banker. But in 2014, with Donald Trump eyeing a run at the White House, Stephen Calk stepped into the big-money world of New York real estate — and a network of Trump associates.
The New York company, which is preparing to buy Astoria Financial, reported year-over-year increases in commercial-and-industrial and commercial real estate loans.
Auto risks mounting. Mortgage market tightening. Are there any good risks these days in consumer lending? Regional bank executives insist partnerships with online lenders, unsecured personal loans and other niche efforts can work if done properly.
A regulatory plan to create new restrictions on banks’ executive compensation practices appears dead – but changes since the financial crisis may have made the proposal largely obsolete anyway.
Increased dealings in direct consumer lending and guaranteed student loans offset a decline in mortgage-related income. A lower loan-loss provision also helped the bottom line.
The California lender, which specializes in trade finance, reported strong growth in commercial and other lending categories last quarter, and it urged the Trump administration to seek fair trade deals with China.
