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Fewer cranes on the horizon? Banking tumult could slow nonresidential construction

Mar 28, 2023
Smaller and regional banks are major lenders not only for office construction, but also building projects like hospitals, educational institutions and ports.
Cranes on a construction site in southeast Baltimore work to build office space. Spending for non-residential projects is up nearly 16% in the past year, according to the Census Bureau, and that is due in part to rising building costs.
Stephanie Hughes/Marketplace

SVB’s collapse sends California wineries into a state of uncertainty

Mar 28, 2023
More than 400 California wineries borrowed from Silicon Valley Bank. In the aftermath of its collapse, many are wondering what comes next.
In addition to lending to wineries, SVB helped raise money for basics like bedding and food for area farmworkers, said farmworker advocate Rosaura Segura.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Could commercial real estate be the next shoe to drop at regional banks?

Mar 27, 2023
Analysts say there's no reason to panic, but the sinking values of commercial properties could make those banks' balance sheets look pretty bad.
 "The banks have $270 billion of commercial real estate loans coming due this year," said Matt Anderson, a managing director at Trepp Inc.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Why CDs are music to banks' ears right now

Mar 27, 2023
Certificates of Deposit help banks bring in cash that they can use to make money by lending it at higher rates. Depositors may be looking to CDs as interest rates rise.
According to the Federal Reserve, the amount invested in large CDs — specifically, with accounts holding $100,000 or more — has gone up nearly 44% in the past year.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Bank regulators face a grilling on Capitol Hill while calming markets and the public

Mar 27, 2023
Besides testifying in hearings, regulators need to get a few messages across, including that the system worked, a PR executive says.
"As far as the overall banking system is concerned, I do think that SVB was an outlier," said Anusha Chari, a professor at UNC Chapel Hill.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Bank failures have some small businesses reconsidering where they park their money

Mar 27, 2023
Some have been moving money to "too big to fail" banks. Others are sticking with community institutions.
In addition to the idea of larger banking institutions being "to big too fail," they also tend to have more sophisticated technology than smaller banks.
JGalione/Getty Images

Who are bank examiners, and what do they do?

Mar 24, 2023
Examiners are the government employees who monitor a bank’s safety and soundness. What happened in the case of Silicon Valley Bank?
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Why don’t we have a public banking option in the U.S.?

Mar 23, 2023
Only one state in America has a public bank. But support for more public options was growing even before the current financial turbulence began.
Hundreds of private banks have failed since 2009, with Silicon Valley Bank in California recently joining the list. Advocates say it's time for more public banking options.

Bank failures have some small business owners re-thinking their own banking arrangements

Mar 23, 2023
The failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank have rattled some small business owners, even though contagion hasn’t spread to smaller banks.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks at the American Bankers Association Washington Summit on March 21, 2023 in Washington, DC.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

What's next for financial regulators after the banking jitters?

The recent bank rescues should serve as a wake-up call for regulators to do more, says senior economics contributor Chris Farrell.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images