Lured by the casino market, banks are finally reaching out to tribes that they once ignored.

In the Pacific Northwest, tribes are using $1.2 billion in gaming revenues to develop other businesses. Banks see the developing market as an opportunity to get in on the ground. Wells Fargo says it has made $200 million in commercial loans nationwide.

Banks have long shied from doing business with tribes or individual Indians, citing bureaucratic delays and other legal questions. Individual Indians still find it difficult to obtain home mortgages and other financial services.

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Few reservations: Bankers show more interest in tribes (The Puget Sound Business Journal 4/12)