Investors would rather pay commissions for the financial advice they receive than a fee based on assets under management, according to Cerulli Associates.

RBC Wealth Management, the unit of Royal Bank of Canada of Toronto that oversees almost $200 billion for more than 350,000 households, won the highest satisfaction ranking in a survey of full-service investment firms' customers, J.D. Power & Associates said.

A new wave of dot-coms is turning heads and building paper wealth for tech company workers. Unlike many who suffered in the crash of 2000, "dot-com 2.0" option holders are apt to assume they're riding a bubble — and they're looking for help to make the most of their unrealized riches.

The regulators have yet to complete rules on regional bank supervision, community bank capital and other provisions meant to ease institutions' burden.

The Federal Housing Administration is aiming to limit the share of borrowers who have been withdrawing money from the value of their homes.

Bankers are downplaying such concerns, but others say a sharp decline in values on rent-regulated buildings means landlords will have less cash flow to acquire new properties.

In "Limitless," the journalist Jeanna Smialek explores how the Federal Reserve has gone beyond its more traditional monetary policymaking to a more activist role of addressing societal problems.

The idea that banks might be unmanageably large ignores the fact that the U.S. is full of well-managed firms that are far bigger than even the largest banks.

The banking industry appears to be stuck when it comes to diversifying the leadership ranks.