How will Texas commercial lenders re-tool their lending efforts in the after math of Hurricane Harvey? A report by the Cleveland Federal Reserve may shed light.

The study demonstrates that the need for financing by disaster victims won’t be immediate. Lending activity subsides in the after math of major disasters. But within a six month period, as impacted economies recover, lending activity picks up considerably. The study indicates that small local banks increase lending by 25 percent in the year following a major disaster. How do these small banks manage to lend more money, when no doubt such disasters result in immediate loses?

The report outlines three specific strategies Texas commercial lenders may implement to raise capital and meet the increased demand for loans.

New loans will increase in areas of Texas directly impacted by Harvey and lending will decline in areas that saw little to no impact from the storm. The report claims banks shift their activity in order to meet the increased demand for new loans in impacted areas. This shift is demonstrated in Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HDMA) data citied in the report. Every dollar lent in a disaster area is a 42-50 cent decrease in lending in areas that remain unaffected. While banks concentrate on impacted areas, capital becomes harder to access in other markets. This spreads the economic influence of major disasters throughout the economy.

New mortgages will be securitized and sold off at a higher rate. Selling new mortgages onto secondary markets helps local banks meet increased demand for loans in disaster areas. The new mortgages will be for smaller amounts, under the conforming loan limit in order to qualify for government backing. The government guarantee helps prop up lending activity in disaster areas. HDMA data in the report confirms this trend. Banks avoid the risk of doling out long term loans on the basis of short-term deposits. Local banks can therefore replenish capital each time they issue a new loan by securitizing and selling off new loans. Having this money on hand helps banks meet increased demand for loans in impacted areas. However the conforming loan limit may impact the size of mortgages issued by local banks in the long run. Local banks are therefore less likely to issue large mortgages in the immediate future.

Banks will increase interest rates on deposits in the short term, in order to attract additional capital. Local banks will compete with one another in order to secure new deposits and meet the demand for new loans. This competition requires banks to raise interest rates paid on savings accounts. Such competition is likely to occur in markets connected, but otherwise not impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Ratewatch data cited in the report finds local banks increase the interest paid on short term CD’s by 20 percent when compared to average rates.

Texas commercial lenders may or may not implement the strategies outlined above to meet the increased demand for loans.

The study indicates that lending will increase in areas that felt the brunt of Harvey’s impact, that new mortgages will be for smaller amounts and savings accounts will pay out higher interest rates. Whether this will hold true in the case of Hurricane Harvey remains to be seen.

Dennis Dahlberg
Broker/RI/CEO/MLO
Level 4 Funding LLC  Private Hard Money Lender
Arizona Tel:  (623) 582-4444
Texas Tel:      (512) 516-1177
Dennis@level4funding.com NMLS 1057378 | AZMB 0923961 | MLO 1057378
22601 N 19th Ave Suite 112 | Phoenix | AZ | 85027
111 Congress Ave |Austin | Texas | 78701

About the Author:  Dennis has been working in the real estate industry in some capacity for the last 40 years. He purchased his first property when he was just 18 years old. He quickly learned about the amazing investment opportunities provided by trust deed investing and hard money loans. His desire to help others make money in real estate investing led him to specialize in alternative funding for real estate investors who may have trouble getting a traditional bank loan. Dennis is passionate about alternative funding sources and sharing his knowledge with others to help make their dreams come true. Dennis has been married to his wonderful wife for 42 years. They have 2 beautiful daughters 5 amazing grandchildren. Dennis has been an Arizona resident for the past 40 years.

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