Bank consolidation has been happening for decades, and its pace has sped up in recent years. Borrowers and depositors are experiencing a number of side-effects.
While big banks reported blockbuster quarters driven by trading revenue and investment fees, regional lenders — which focus on traditional deposit-taking and lending — are about to give a different read on the economy.
Two regional banks filed lawsuits claiming they were the victim of loan fraud this week. Still, most regional banks are doing well — mainly thanks to commercial real estate lending.
A significant portion of NYCB’s $252 million in losses last quarter came from losses on commercial real estate loans–a revenue source for other regional banks as well.