Most banking markets across West Michigan grew from mid-2011 to mid-2012 after a one-year decline from 2010.

West Michigan-based banks further improved earnings during the third quarter as they continued to recover from the recession amid a slow economy.

If nothing else, Chuck Hadden views Michigan’s rise in a national ranking of state business tax climates as further proof that the state is changing for the better.

A dip in U.S. Small Business Administration lending in Michigan during the past year doesn’t mean fewer businesses are borrowing money.

Survey data show business owners across Michigan are decidedly less upbeat about their prospects for the coming six months than they were last spring, although they were better prepared for a slowing U.S. economy than their counterparts in other states.

After closing fundraising on its flagship fund to invest more than $15.1 million in early stage Michigan-based businesses, a Grand Rapids venture fund can now focus on building its investment portfolio and recording its first exit.

When it came time for a Standish-based plastic molding company to grow, the company went looking for a loan to finance an expansion. But the firm didn’t qualify for a loan because of a lack of adequate collateral, the result of the recession that pushed down the valuation of many companies.

A Grand Rapids venture capital firm has closed fundraising on its flagship fund, raising more than $15.1 million to invest in early stage businesses based in Michigan.

Opening a Cleveland office staffed by an industry veteran gives Hopen Life Science Ventures a broader presence in the Midwest to scout for potential deals with life sciences startups.

Credit unions across Michigan posted strong growth during the past year, as the state’s economy picked up and drove loan demand, particularly among businesses.

Small businesses across Michigan could soon have a new source to tap for investment capital: credit unions.

Returning to profitability after more than three years of losses is just the first step of what remains a long journey toward getting Community Shores Bank Corp. back to sound financial footing.

In hiring a pair of seasoned commercial lenders in West Michigan, Flagstar Bank seeks to carve out a larger role in the market as part of a corporate strategy to diversify its revenue base.

GRANDVILLE — Grand River Commerce Inc. joined a growing number of small community banks around the nation, and became the first in Michigan, to take advantage of a new federal law and save thousands of dollars annually in regulatory reporting costs. 

The three-year-old parent company of Grand River Bank filed a notice June 29 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to deregister its shares and suspend regulatory reporting. The change takes effect 90 days after the filing.

KALAMAZOO — They've done business together for five years and each was looking at its next step. 

So the Kalamazoo-based Southwest Michigan Life Science Venture Fund and an Illinois venture fund decided to work together even closer.