Fed examiners stepping up oversight of commercial real-estate loans at smaller banks

September 25th, 2009 Bailout money for smaller banks being weighedWASHINGTON — Federal regulators and lawmakers are weighing a fresh round of bailouts for banks that were too small or too risky to qualify for earlier aid. Representatives from the Treasury Department, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

September 25th, 2009 US large-loan bank losses triple to $53 billionCHARLOTTE, N.C. — U.S. regulators said total losses from large loans at banks and other financial institutions nearly tripled to $53 billion in 2009, due to a deteriorating economic environment and continued weak underwriting standards.

September 16th, 2009 Fed tightens review of commercial real estate riskWASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve is stepping up its scrutiny of commercial real estate loans at smaller banks, where delinquency rates have risen sharply. Instead of reviewing individual banks, Fed examiners are comparing results across the industry to better assess broader risks, a Fed official said Wednesday.

September 15th, 2009 IRS issues rules to ease mortgage refinancingWASHINGTON — The IRS issued new rules Tuesday designed to make it easier to refinance some commercial real estate loans in an effort to curb the number of defaults. The rules would allow commercial loans that are part of investment pools known as Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduits, or REMICs, to be refinanced without triggering tax penalties for investors.

September 3rd, 2009 Federal Reserve imposes restrictions on 2 banksOMAHA, Neb. — The Federal Reserve has imposed restrictions on two correspondent banks in Nebraska and Missouri owned by Midwest Independent Bancshares Inc.

August 20th, 2009 Ahead of the Bell: Regions FinancialNEW YORK — Regions Financial Corp. was downgraded Wednesday by an analyst because a recent surge in its share price brought it in line with expectations, and the regional bank could still face steep losses from commercial real estate exposure.

August 11th, 2009 Watchdog says bad assets still threaten banksWASHINGTON — Despite signs that the financial system has stabilized, banks remain threatened by billions of dollars of bad loans on their balance sheets, and more could fail if the economy worsens, a congressional watchdog reports. In its latest assessment of the $700 billion financial system bailout, the Congressional Oversight Panel warns that banks still hold many risky loans of uncertain value.

July 16th, 2009 Lending flat in May among top banks in bailoutNEW YORK — Lending among the biggest banks to receive government bailout funds was flat in May as the worsening recession led to efforts to pay off debt, the U.S. Treasury said.

July 9th, 2009 Fed focused on commercial loansWASHINGTON — A Federal Reserve official says the central bank is paying extra attention to banks' books as losses from sour commercial real estate loans keep mounting. Jon D. Greenlee, associate director of the Fed's division of banking supervision, says in remarks prepared for a Congressional hearing Thursday that the central bank has stepped up training of its bank examiners so they are ready to deal with rising losses from the commercial real estate industry.

July 9th, 2009 Commercial real estate woes growWASHINGTON — Owners of shopping malls, hotels and offices are defaulting on their loans at an alarming rate, and the commercial real estate market is not expected to hit bottom for three more years, industry experts warned Thursday. "The commercial real estate time bomb is ticking," said Rep.

June 17th, 2009 Commercial real estate loans draw no interestWASHINGTON — Investors showed no appetite for commercial real estate loans in the debut of a government plan intended to boost their availability. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York said it received no investor requests for loans by Tuesday's deadline.

June 16th, 2009 Commercial real-estate loans draw no interestWASHINGTON — Investors showed no appetite for a government plan intended to boost the availability of commercial real-estate loans. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York says it received no investor requests for loans by Tuesday's deadline.

June 1st, 2009 Bailed-out banks lent less money in MarchWASHINGTON — Banks that received taxpayer bailouts had a lower average level of loans outstanding as of the end of March than a month earlier, the Treasury Department reported Monday. Five hundred of the more than 600 banks participating in the $700 billion financial system rescue had an average of $5.24 billion in loans oustanding on March 31, down 0.8 percent from the $5.28 billion average they showed at the end of February.

May 8th, 2009 5 regional banks must raise $8.2B after testsWASHINGTON — Five of the nation's largest regional banks are vulnerable to a worsening recession and need to raise a total $8.2 billion in new capital based on results of government "stress tests" released Thursday. The two regional banks based in the Southeast, Regions Financial Corp.

May 1st, 2009 AP sources: Fed mulls longer loans as part of TALFWASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve is considering allowing longer loan terms in a program aimed at bolstering commercial real-estate lending, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The aim is to make the yet-to-be-launched program more attractive to investors.