In 2011, 5-Star Green Dot Bank purchased Bonneville Bank, Provo, UT, and became the first Fintech Bank in the United States. In fact, the Bonneville branch on North Freedom Boulevard in Provo still operates much the same as it did…
Author: BauerFinancial (page 6)
Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble
We saw an interesting article in the American Banker recently (March 25, 2022) about the “red-hot housing market” looking like 2007. There are definite similarities, no doubt. And for those of us who were around in the 1980s, it’s déjà…
Community Banks Steeped in Commercial Loans
Last week we reported on U.S. banks with robust Commercial & Industrial (C&I) loan growth during calendar 2021. In spite of the winding down of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), we found 51 established C&I lenders with at least 35%…
Signs of Life in C&I Lending, Will it Last?
We saw a glimmer of hope in the fourth quarter ’21 data that perhaps a resurgence of commercial and industrial (C&I) loan demand was on its way. Nearly a third of all U.S. banks increased their C&I loan portfolios during…
What a Quarter Point Rate Increase Means to You
You have probably already heard that the Federal Reserve bumped interest rates up a quarter point on Wednesday (3/16/22). You may have also discerned that we are looking at as many as six more boosts this year. Since the Fed’s…
All New C.U. Star-Ratings Now Available
As a whole, the nation’s credit unions performed admirably during calendar 2021. However, NCUA Chairman Todd Harper sounded a similar cautionary tone as we heard last week from his bank (FDIC) counterpart. “The potential for new COVID variants, continuing labor…
All New Bank Star-Ratings Now Available
Pandemic impacts are subsiding but geopolitical strains are rising. It’s a good thing Bauer projects negative trends forward when assigning its star-ratings. The FDIC’s acting chairman, Martin Gruenburg, has even voiced concerns about the future. When remarking Tuesday on how…
NCUA-Insured Ukrainian Credit Unions
With everything happening in and around Ukraine these days, we want to make one thing perfectly clear. Deposits (or shares) at all U.S. chartered, federally-insured banks and credit unions are covered up to $250,000. That, of course, includes the following…
CU Expansion to Serve the Underserved
Community credit unions typically must serve a well-defined community, neighborhood or rural district, but there are exceptions. One such exception is for “underserved” areas. A federal credit union may be allowed to expand outside its defined area if the target…
Insider Loans Top $37 Billion
Last year at this time, we reported on a new rule that would allow businesses owned by bank insiders to apply for Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans (JRN 38:08). There was widespread concern that these loans would…