💣SBA, Blue Cross drop financial bombs; Susser in, Westwood out of downtown FW; Worthington, Enterprise banks have new senior execs.

Small business lending just got a bit more expensive. The SBA is re-instating up-front fees on 7(a) loans for the remainder of the fiscal year ending Sept. 30. The announcement reverses previous policy that waived up-front fees on loans of $1 million or less. Here's a read on what to expect. 

Rocket Companies has an agreement to purchase Coppell-based Mr. Cooper Group in a $9.4-billion, all-stock deal.

Autobahn Fort Worth, owned by Robert Bass, is not going to Clearfork, but has found a site for six dealerships on 75 Cassco-owned acres near Oakmont Blvd. and the Chisholm Trail Parkway. Robert Francis of Fort Worth Report has the details for the December 2026 home of the BMW, Volvo, Volkswagen, Porsche, Land Rover and Mini dealerships. 

Contracts between Southwestern Health Resources –- which includes Texas Health Resources and UT-Southwestern –- and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas expired April 1.

Dallas-based Susser Bank, which has Tarrant locations in Fort Worth, Arlington and Bedford, has opened a loan production office in City Center at 201 Main St. in downtown Fort Worth. The bank has more than $2.1 billion in assets. This office will be led by Corey Doyle, director of commercial real estate.

Val Kilmer, the film star who played Batman and Jim Morrison, dies at 65. The versatile leading man also had high-profile roles as a co-star in films such as Tombstone and Top Gun, among other notable titles.

President Donald Trump has dubbed April 2, 2025, "Liberation Day." What is it, why is it, and how does it apply to tariffs in the United States?

Westwood Contractors announced the relocation of its corporate headquarters to the Chase Bank building at 2001 Beach St. in east Fort Worth yesterday after nearly 20 years in downtown Fort Worth. Westwood will occupy the fourth floor of the building, giving it a 60% increase in office space.

Marcus & Millichap announced the sale of the 152-unit Ashton apartment community in Saginaw. The seller and buyer were not identified. The 15-building community was built in 1984 and is on eight acres at 681 N. Saginaw Blvd.

The PID (Public Improvement District) is not a piddling thing. And they are not new. But two state bills, if passed, could help the larger Texas cities with how they finance their growth. 

RAICES, the largest immigrant legal aid group and with offices in Fort Worth and Dallas, was forced to lay off employees after the administration ended a federal contract that provides services to unaccompanied minors. 

Stiks, an indoor golf training facility run by PGA-certified pros, has opened at 910 S. Blue Mound Rd. in Saginaw. Steve Storey and Tyler Kuhn are instructors and play competitive professional golf across the country in PGA events. Lessons and memberships are available. 

Gulf Highway Equipment leased approximately 46,000 square feet of distribution center space at 7204 Burns St. in Richland Hills from Ackerson Holdings. Bradford Commercial Real Estate Services’ Luke Clardy represented the tenant, and NAI Robert Lynn’s Todd Hubbard represented the landlord.

Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co. and Aero Performance inaugurated a 38,000-square-foot distribution center in AllianceTexas, replacing their previous 10,000-square-foot facility, a 280% increase in operational space.

Gladstone Commercial acquired a newly constructed, 140,304 square-foot, Class A USDA food processing facility near D-FW International Airport for $44 million. The cold storage capabilities are 100% leased to American Meat Companies, which produces steaks, hamburger patties, pork chops, poultry items, and custom-prepared products.

American Airlines announced several long-distance routes will be offered this year, including new routes to Cancun, Mexico and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and expanded services on routes to Hawaii, South America and Europe.

Fiji Airways, with D-FW International Airport as a new destination, has joined the AAdvantage and oneworld Alliance. 

The Points Guy offers 10 of its favorite travel hacks gleaned from frequent flyers.

The New York Stock Exchange Texas opened and Trump Media Group was its first listing for trading.

Looking for a job or a better opportunity? Workforce Solutions of Tarrant County is hosting a job fair today in Arlington. The event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Rush Creek Church. Click here to view the list of companies expected to attend.

Daily digit: 56% of U.S. engineers who have PhDs were born abroad.

Significant stat: The number of unoccupied bedrooms in homes across the U.S. has increased approximately 8x since 1970. An increase in the number of bedrooms per home and a decline in the number of persons per household are the reasons.

Believe it or not: Did March Madness become completely rational? For the second time in tournament history, all four #1 seeds have reached the NCAA Final Four.

Announcements:

• Leukemia Texas: Hires Sharon McGowan as Executive Director.

• Worthington Bank: Adds J. Byron Pascoe as Executive Vice President.

• Enterprise Bank & Trust: Hires Amer Timani as Senior Vice President-Relationship Banking.

• CD&R: Private investment firm hires former Schwab CEO Walt Bettinger as Senior Advisor, Financial and Technology Services for CD&R-managed funds.  

• Post L Group: Hires Alec Baker as Vice President of Drywall Operations.

• Twin Peaks: CEO Joe Hummel and Chief Legal Officer Clay Mingus are leaving two months after its IPO.

• Flywise: Adds Jenny Kocher as Administrative Project Coordinator. 

• Nordic: Names Steve Eckert as Chief Growth Officer. He previously worked as Chief Technology Officer at Cook Children’s.

• Water Environment Association of Texas: Awards Arlington’s Robert Stanley the Sidney L. Allison award for his contributions to wastewater management.

• TD Pine Advisors: Adds Darren Unruh to Advisory Board.

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