Alan Kline

Some banks have been successful in serving a client base that ranges from mom-and-pop operations to multinational conglomerates, but the most profitable and efficient ones tend to have more targeted strategies, according to a new report from McKinsey & Co.

Refer credit-challenged mom-and-pops to nonbank lenders and eventually those small businesses will be viable enough to qualify for bank loans, industry experts say.

PNC, U.S. Bancorp and KeyCorp all reported loan growth of at least 5% in the third quarter as they focused heavily on strengthening customer relationships and reaped the benefits of expansion into new markets or business lines. Still, revenue and other challenges remain.

The banking regulators will remain open in the event of a government shutdown, but the ongoing fiscal battle in Congress could still have significant implications for the financial services industry.

The CEO of HSBC USA says that stricter regulation is crucial to strengthening the banking system and winning back customers' trust, but she remains frustrated by the glacial pace of the rulemaking.

With every action now being scrutinized in real time, banks don't necessarily need guidelines and mandates to know if they are doing right by customers and shareholders, Fifth Third CEO Kevin Kabat says at American Banker's Regulatory Symposium.

TD Bank is content with its branch network along the East Coast and, for now, is not interested in deals that would take it into new markets, according to its chief financial officer.

KeyCorp wasn't looking to make history when it named a female CEO in 2011. It wanted a stronger leader and a good fit for the company. Based on what Beth Mooney has accomplished so far, she's delivering on all fronts.

Failures, mergers and charter consolidations have all played a role in the latest decline, but what's really driving down the numbers is the lack of de novos.

RBS Citizens Financial Group in Providence, R.I., has become the latest banking company to use plain language to describe its checking account policies and procedures.

BB&T is raising its profile in the Atlanta area by attaching its brand to automated teller machines in Rite Aid stores across the metropolitan area.

Banks add expertise, services for trade finance boom.

The outspoken CEO has nothing but praise for the Basel Committee and says bankers have little to fear from the CFPB.

People's United Financial (PBCT) in Bridgeport, Conn., reported a profit of $62.1 million in the quarter that ended June 30, down 3.8% from the same period last year, but up 18.2% from three months earlier.

Fifth Third, Huntington and KeyCorp all meet or beat earnings estimates, but in conference calls with analysts Thursday their executives were cautious about their growth prospects for the second half of the year.

M&T, in Buffalo, N.Y., is still comfortable with its decision to acquire the mortgage lender even though a recent rise in mortgage rates could crimp Hudson City's profits.

Competition for large corporate loans is as intense as ever and, until it eases, the Dallas bank is content to let its middle-market lending drive profits.

Receiving Wide Coverage ...Eye on Auditors: You know it's a slow day in the U.S. banking world when the only story that qualifies as "receiving wide coverage" is about proposed legislation that would prevent the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board from forcing companies to periodically rotate their auditors. Late Monday, the House overwhelmingly approved a bill that would block the PCAOB from requiring companies to change auditors — an idea that was first proposed by the agency's chairman, James Doty, in 2011. The House vote is a victory for public companies, which have long argued that mandatory auditor rotation would not improve quality because it takes years for auditors to fully understand the companies they cover. The bill's sponsors said the legislation was meant to send a message to European regulators, who are considering auditor term limits. Wall Street Journal, Financial Times

Many small and midsize firms consider overseas sales as crucial to sustained growth, and banks are responding by beefing up their trade-finance units.

Northeast Bancorp (NBN) in Lewiston, Maine, can now make owner-occupied commercial real estate loans without fear of exceeding a cap on such loans imposed by regulators.