Allissa Kline

During last year's proxy season, 14 large and midsize banks reported granting special awards in an effort to retain C-level executives. So far this year, just four banks have done so, reflecting a gloomier economic outlook, consultants say.

CEO Bill Rogers says the North Carolina bank is contemplating additional business segment changes to improve its efficiency. Investors have been pushing the company to cut costs at a faster clip.

The banking industry, which has been contending with deposit outflows, could get a short-term boost from spooked investors. But once the White House and House Republicans reach a deal on raising the debt ceiling, the pressure on deposits may resume, analysts say.

The CEOs of the nation's largest banks met with officials in Washington on Wednesday and Thursday, just two weeks before the government is expected to go broke. Behind the scenes, the banks are reviewing contingencies in case the unthinkable occurs.

Last year, just 31% of the bank's shareholders voted in favor of compensation packages for top executives. Support climbed to 89% this year after JPMorgan vowed not to make any more special one-time awards to Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon.

The North Carolina company, which acquired the remains of Silicon Valley Bank in late March, is now taking steps to shore up its deposit base. Those efforts, which follow outflows tied to Silicon Valley Bank customers, include paying higher rates at its nationwide online bank.

Rock-bottom stock prices at midsize banks are fueling concerns that depositors could get spooked, and short sellers are drawing much of the blame. But their persistence may be exposing a broader lack of confidence in the industry.

The Cleveland-based bank says it will submit to a racial equity audit conducted by an outside law firm, as Citigroup and Wells Fargo have previously done. The bank's decision follows a request that regulators investigate Key's mortgage lending practices for alleged redlining.

On one level, the failed bank's narrative mirrors the interest rate misplay and depositor panic at Bay Area neighbor Silicon Valley Bank. But it's also a deeply personal story about Herbert, who founded First Republic in the 1980s, championed its aggressive growth and failed in a last-ditch attempt to engineer a private-sector rescue.

About $2.9 billion of the deposits the company obtained from the failed Signature Bank had fled as of last week, and executives are forecasting that number to double. However, they say they're "cautiously optimistic" they can lure some deposits back.

The groups also want regulators to downgrade the Cleveland bank's rating under the Community Reinvestment Act. The demands represent an escalation of a dispute over whether Key fulfilled promises it made under a 2016 community benefits agreement.

The Missouri bank was downgraded by credit rating agencies in the wake of last month's bank failures, but CEO Mariner Kemper is pushing back. "We have way, way overblown the impact of two failed banks," he said.

At the two big banks, proposed phaseouts of lending for new fossil-fuel exploration drew less shareholder support on Tuesday than they did a year ago. The results were a blow to activists who want big banks to take stronger action to combat climate change.

The Dallas-based company is intentionally shedding certain deposit relationships that don't align with its new business model. Total quarterly deposits fell 12.6% year over year, but they rose 1% after excluding the relationships targeted for reduction, according to the bank.

The Charlotte, North Carolina, company plans to fold the online consumer lending platform LightStream into its broader consumer business. On top of a recent pullback in bond trading, it may also make further reductions in its mortgage business and occupied real estate.

Executives at the Minneapolis bank responded to a research report that highlighted the decline in a key capital ratio after an acquisition last year. They don't plan to raise capital but aim to generate more of it from earnings in coming quarters.

As the Wall Street giant continues to scale back its consumer banking ambitions, the point-of-sale loan provider that it purchased in 2022 could be the latest target. And CEO David Solomon said there might be more moves ahead.

Though revenue growth remains a challenge, Citigroup is still committed to its global wealth management expansion plan, CEO Jane Fraser said Friday. Andy Sieg is joining the bank from Merrill Lynch in September as head of global wealth management.

William Demchak of PNC, Brian Moynihan of Bank of America and William Rogers of Truist had their total compensation reduced last year, as stock prices across the industry fell. The previous year, pay for bank chief executives had soared by more than 20%.

Eric Rosengren, who stepped down as CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston in 2021, has been elected an independent director of Berkshire Hill Bancorp. He's its second new board member this year.