Articles & Publications

James Bauerle, chairman of the banking and regulatory practice at Downtown law firm Keevican Weiss Bauerle & Hirsch LLC, believes the bill has a “low probability of passing” in its current form. “Regulators are likely to view it as something that stabilizes the loan market for community banks and are likely to oppose it,” Bauerle said.

But he believes both sides will dig in, prolonging the battle.

“Small business lending is generally a business you’ve got to be in in a big way, or not at all,” Bauerle said. “Putting your toe in the water is an invitation to trouble. You’ve got to have people who know how to do it and you can’t afford to hire them if you’re only able to do loans up to 12.25 percent of your total assets.”