Lends on the Mends

The data are good in asset growth for Gulf Coast banks, but a relic from recession days gone by lurks at the bottom of the report.

To the good, the 45 banks headquartered in the region, from Pasco to Collier counties, reported an 8.8% increase in total assets in the second quarter compared with the second quarter last year. That's a year-over-year jump from $23.15 billion in assets in 2012 to $25.19 billion in 2013. That growth, moreover, follows a trend from the first quarter, when assets for all banks region-wide increased 11% over 2012.

A bank's assets are, for the most part, its loan portfolio, so the growth track could be equated to general improvement in the regional economy. And an increase in loans is an affirmative answer to a question many bankers get peppered with daily: Are you lending?