Better net

Bankers on the Gulf Coast are making more money lending money.

That's good news for entrepreneurs because banks will be increasingly encouraged to lend money rather than squirrel it away in their securities portfolios.

According to the most recent data from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., net interest income at the 42 banks headquartered from Polk to Collier counties rose 15.6% in the first quarter ending March 31 compared with the same quarter one year ago.