Changes at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and congressional leadership made 2021 an exciting year in policy development, and the coming year promises even more change.
Banks continue to feel a heightened sense of compliance and risk concern, according to the results of a new Wolters Kluwer survey.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is deploying $100 million under the new Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program to make nearly $1 billion in loan guarantees.
Credit quality for both loans secured by farmland and agricultural production loans improved in 2021, ag lenders reported in the joint ABA-Farmer Mac Agricultural Lenders Survey. In the next 12 months, lenders expect credit quality will either moderately improve or stay the same.
A majority of ag lenders—69.7%—reported that overall farm profitability increased in the prior year, due in large part to government support, which is estimated to account for 38% of ag borrowers’ net income, according to the 2021 Agricultural Lenders Survey conducted by ABA and Farmer Mac.
In a recent speech, Federal Reserve Gov. Michelle Bowman addresses the lack of new bank formations in the last decade and what can be done to encourage more de novo banks.
ABA today announced the recipients of its Bruning and Blanchfield Awards, the association’s premier awards presented for contributions to ag banking.
The alternative protein business has seen impressive growth in recent years. As products continue to improve in taste and price, regularly finding their way into more consumers’ grocery bags, U.S. agribusiness increasingly will play a role—active and passive—in shaping the future of the market.
As the SEC considers comments from its recent request for information on climate change disclosures, the Office of Corporation Finance has published a model comment letter consisting of comments that recently have been sent to various SEC registrants related to climate change.
As part of its budgetary process known as “reconciliation,” the House of Representatives has outlined a series of income tax proposals that could have a significant effect on banks and their customers.