Allissa Kline

CEO Curtis Farmer tried to assure skeptics Tuesday that the Dallas-based bank is focused on shareholder value and profitability, even as an activist investor group prepares to launch a board fight.

The superregional bank, which pulled the plug on bitcoin custody services in 2022, is reintroducing those services following the demise of an unfavorable SEC rule.

On Thursday, the two banks disclosed a presentation that seeks to reinforce the strategic rationale behind the proposed $8.6 billion deal.

Aron Levine, the Canadian bank's new U.S. president, said BMO intends to invest in technology and spend more on branches. The company's moves, which also include the recent combination of its U.S. businesses, are part of a plan to boost its return on equity.

The Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank, which is focusing its growth push in the Southeast, is also planning to renovate 300 existing offices as part of an effort to attract more mass-affluent customers.

The faster timelines for completing bank mergers this year reflects a transformed regulatory environment under the Trump administration. In several cases, deals have closed just a few months after they've been announced.

The Providence, Rhode Island-based bank has hired Aunoy Banerjee as its next CFO, a role that will be vacated by State Street hire John Woods. Banerjee is currently the CFO of Barclays Bank PLC.

Late-payment rates among U.S. borrowers rose again in the second quarter, according to a report from the New York Fed. The trend reflects a sharp increase in student loan delinquencies, which have been climbing as pandemic-era policies have expired.

In New York City and elsewhere, financial institutions are taking stock of their office-building security protocols following the killing of four people, including an investment bank executive, in Midtown Manhattan. Security experts say that layers of protection are essential in all office buildings.

The largest bank in Missouri, which completed the acquisition of Heartland Financial USA early this year, is on track to switch Heartland's systems over to UMB's systems in mid-October. The conversion should help realize "the next big slug" of expense savings, UMB's CFO said.

Investor reaction to the proposed $8.6 billion deal has been sour, with both banks' share prices falling more than 11% as of Friday afternoon. The response appeared to reflect the market's distaste for mergers of equals and the risks associated with crossing the $100 billion-asset threshold.

The Dallas-based bank is the subject of a scathing new report by HoldCo Asset Management, which says it should take advantage of current market conditions to sell itself. The investment firm accused Comerica's management of making poor decisions and failing to address its lagging stock price.

The Long Island-based company's second-quarter net loss was the seventh consecutive quarter in which it has reported a net loss. CEO Joseph Otting remained optimistic Friday about the bank's future, saying it should return to profitability in the fourth quarter.

The two Southeast banks agreed to combine in a transaction valued at $8.6 billion. Synovus CEO Kevin Blair would be chief executive of the combined bank, but a slim majority of board members would come from Pinnacle.

Flagstar Bank wants to merge its holding company into the bank, which would cut $15 million in annual expenses and eliminate regulatory oversight by the Federal Reserve, leaving the OCC as its primary regulator. The bank's CEO, Joseph Otting, is a former comptroller of the currency.

The Evansville, Indiana-based bank has hired Tim Burke to oversee commercial and community banking, along with wealth, credit and marketing.

Kate Luft, a former chief of staff for Citi CEO Jane Fraser, is now running the company's U.S. retail banking business. In her first interview since getting the job, Luft discussed what banks can learn from airlines and the advantages that incumbents have over fintechs.

The North Carolina-based regional bank still expects its revenue to outpace its spending this year, though if interest rates hold steady, it could "create some risk," a top executive said Friday.

CEO Brian Moynihan plans to keep directing some of the bank's excess capital into new market expansions, he said Wednesday. "Organic growth is the reality," given the bank's already dominant U.S. market share, he said.

The global bank reported solid second-quarter results as executives maintain confidence in the bank's ability to achieve a return on tangible common equity of 10-11% next year. But an analyst said Citi's progress on reducing expenses will hinge on its ability to get freed from various enforcement actions.