American Bankers Association

Will it be a little tougher to get operating capital this spring?  For some the answer is yes.   “And I think it will be instead of a $150,000 operating line, it might be $110,000 or $100,000 operating line," said Montana Banker Heather Malcolm.  "So, it might...

If you ask farm and ranch lenders from across the country their thoughts on the future of the Ag economy, their responses may not be as somber as you’d expect.  And while there is caution about the current farm economy, Montana banker Heather Malcolm says it’s not all gloom and doom as we look at 2020.   “From a...

Last week, the federal government released banking guidance for the finance industry related to hemp producers.  The American Bankers Association said the guidance makes clear that banks are not required to file Suspicious Activity Reports on hemp producers operating under an approved federal, state or tribal license or plan.  Th...

While many in the farm and even non-farm community feel the Ag economy is not in a good place, Ag bankers are not necessarily in that camp.  Those in attendance of this year’s American Bankers Association National Ag Bankers Conference, had an upbeat mood when it comes to the farm economy.  The ABA ...

Ag bankers are asking Congress to take action on the Enhancing Credit Opportunities in Rural America act, better known as ECORA.  What would this legislation do for rural America?   Ed Elfmann, Senior Vice President for Ag and Rural Banking Policy at the American Bankers Association, said the legislation will lower the tax rate on banks when they do agricultural real estate lending.   “... Read Mo

The American Bankers Association teamed up with Farmer Mac for their Fall 2019 Ag Lender Survey.  The biggest takeaway from the report is that the agricultural economy and farm income remain under stress, with little if any signs of improvement ahead in 2020.  Ov...

With the Democrats set to take control of the House this month, many in the Ag industry are curious what that means on the farm and for the bottom line.  Add to that, what it means for the bank account as well, according to Ed Elfmann.  The Senior Vice President of Agriculture and Rural Bankers Policy at the American Bankers Association says not only are the democrats taking over the House, but se

What are Ag lenders expecting from the farming industry as we look ahead to a new year?   Brittany Kleinpaste, Vice President of the American Bankers Association said some are fearful a tsunami of money problems await the Ag industry in 2019.  Bu...

Ed Elfman is the senior vice president of Agriculture and Rural Banking at the American Bankers Association.  He said he works on the behalf of a sizable portion of the nation's banking system.   "Nearly a third of all the banks in the country are agricultural banks, where at least 15% of their portfolio, or more, is in agriculture.  And abo...

According to a survey conducted by the American Bankers Association and Farmer Mac, farm loan payment problems are expected to rise as we march through 2018.   "We just asked what their sentiments are going forward six month, do they expect credit quality to deteriorate or to improve,” said Brittany Kleinpaste ABA economist.  “And we ...