Small and new businesses, widely credited as engines for job growth, have struggled during the recovery. One reason, say some analysts, is that bank lending to small businesses has declined steadily since the start of the recession. If, as many small businesses claim, the supply of credit from...

Industrial loan companies, or ILCs, are a small, but rapidly growing part of the financial industry. These state-chartered institutions operate in seven states and have nearly all of the same powers as commercial banks. However, ILCs differ greatly from banks in one characteristic--the type of...

In many respects, the 1980s appear to be the worst decade in banking since the Great Depression, while the 1990s could be rated as the best. Over 1,100 commercial banks failed or needed FDIC assistance during the 1980s, and significant parts of the thrift industry became insolvent and had to be...

The recent financial crisis reopened debate about how much public assistance to give to distressed financial institutions. Some argue that even traditional assistance in the form of federal deposit insurance can create moral hazard problems, leading banks to take on greater risk once they are...