Chris Cumming

Bank executives and outside experts finger technology as the area most in need of improvement when it comes to vetting financial institutions' ability to withstand the next bit economic shock.

Interest rates are still at zero, and banks will still be OK — though they may have to do a little scrambling. That could mean a shift away from short-term, rate-sensitive assets, or yet another round of cost-cutting.

The third quarter ends in two weeks, and top executives at Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and two regional banks are raising concerns about cost pressures, impediments to revenue growth and heightened lending risks.

A Federal Reserve decision is expected soon on M&T's long-delayed application to buy Hudson City Bancorp. M&T would still get strategic benefits it sought, but Hudson City has shrunk and become less profitable since it agreed to sell three years ago, and the cost of the deal has risen.

Loan-to-value ratios in commercial real estate lending have returned to their levels from the bubble days, Moody's says. Loss-rates look good for now, but trouble could be coming.

Under a federal corruption probe and facing financial and performance issues, United Airlines has picked ex-KeyCorp CEO Henry Meyer as its new chairman. He'll have to draw on the crisis-management skills he sharpened while leading KeyCorp through the financial crisis.

Forget China — for U.S. banks, Canada carries more weight. Canada's energy-led recession looks harmless for now, but the tight connections between Canada and American banks make it potentially dangerous if it becomes prolonged.

About a fifth of the $163 million in credit Citi has earned under terms of the 2014 settlement would be considered extra credit. Citi can earn extra credit by doing things such as completing loan modifications early or reducing loan-to-value ratios below certain levels.

The market correction and likely longer timeline for a Fed rate rise have sent some overly optimistic investors to the door, and now prices are closer in line with the fundamentals. That's setting the stage for a bounceback in some of the biggest banks' stocks and may ease pressure on them coming into third-quarter earnings season.

Even if stock losses cause the Fed to delay tightening, it won't be a catastrophe for banks' future earnings, according to a study of analysts' forecasts. Margins were not expected to balloon even if the Fed did act.

Stock fluctuations will fuel investment banking fees in the short run, but a prolonged shock would complicate bank M&A and could tighten margins, crimp wealth management fees and present other risks.

In his first interview since taking over HSBC's U.S. bank late last year, CEO Patrick Burke contends that the U.S. bank could prove to be HSBC's hidden gem provided it focuses on multinational corporate clients and cooperates better with its global affiliates.

Lawyers' private emails reveal just how much a pair of 2013 interchange-fee settlements favored the credit card industry. But those suits could be headed back to square one, giving retailers the chance to fight for better terms.

Lawyers' private emails reveal just how much a pair of 2013 interchange-fee settlements favored the credit card industry. But those suits could be headed back to square one, giving retailers the chance to fight for better terms.

Lawyers' private emails reveal just how much a pair of 2013 interchange-fee settlements favored the credit card industry. But those suits could be headed back to square one, giving retailers the chance to fight for better terms.

Lawyer misbehavior caused a judge to torpedo American Express' interchange-fee settlement with retailers, a decision that imperils a similar settlement with Visa and MasterCard.

Disclosure of confidential client information by the lead counsel for a group of merchants "fatally tainted" a 2013 settlement with American Express, a federal judge ruled Tuesday, auguring poorly for a similar settlement with Visa and MasterCard.

Disclosure of confidential client information by the lead counsel for a group of merchants "fatally tainted" a 2012 settlement with American Express, a federal judge ruled, auguring poorly for a similar settlement with Visa and MasterCard.

The first stress tests for regional banks show loan losses closely in line with the postcrisis period. However, an independent analysis suggests losses likely would be even higher.

Promontory Financial trades on its ability to deal with regulators, so being banned by New York's top financial regulator is a serious problem. A potentially messy court fight may be the only way to protect its cachet.