Professors examine condition of Alabama’s banking industry

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — An Auburn University study says regulatory uncertainty and cyber attacks are among concerns about the chief threats to Alabama’s banking industry.

The Opelika-Auburn News reports that the report, “Alabama Banking: The State of the State’s Banking Industry,” examines the condition and performance of the state’s banks and incorporates data from 2000 to 2015. It also outlines policy suggestions aimed at helping state banks better serve their customers.

A comprehensive look into the industry by faculty at Auburn’s Raymond J. Harbert College of Business also reveals that state banks issued $14 billion in small business loans by the end of the third quarter of 2015.

More than 386,000 small businesses in the state created more than 24,800 net new jobs as of 2012, based on the most recent data available.