Jackie Stewart is the executive editor of American Banker Magazine. Previously, she covered breaking news, community banks and mergers and acquisitions for American Banker before being named as the managing editor of the Credit Union Journal. After graduating from Northwestern University in 2006, Jackie taught for two years in the Bronx, N.Y., through Teach for America.
More institutions are willing to pursue small acquisitions, or rely on organic growth, to cross over a regulatory threshold that includes interchange fee caps and stress testing. A big reason is that bankers are becoming more comfortable with the financial toll of such regulation.
Bankers are donating money and promoting blood drives in the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. However, a long-term strategy to stay involved with the issues that the tragedy has brought to light is also considered important.
The financial crisis, and its aftermath, created a new layer of regulation to consider. A growing need to fund technology projects and an uncertain rate environment have only made it harder to forecast revenue and expenses.
Bankers have long complained that customers are fee averse. Aspiration, a nonbank that is working with a Boston bank, has a model that is proving that some clients will voluntarily pay fees.
A number of banks have faced pressure from shareholders to ditch plurality voting, where directors can keep their seats even if they fail to receive majority support from investors.
All five directors at Seacoast Banking Corp. of Florida in Stuart were re-elected despite a protest vote from the company's biggest investor.
Scale is the goal of many banks dealing with compliance costs and revenue constraints. Success requires investing in management and systems without sacrificing culture.
Banc of Californias shareholders delivered a pair of rebukes for the Irvine companys management.
Shareholders at KeyCorp in Cleveland soundly rejected a proposal to separate the chairman and chief executive roles.
HCSB Financial in South Carolina recently raised $45 million from a group led by Castle Creek Capital Partners, showing that big investors are still comfortable placing bets on financial firms. The challenge for banks like HCSB will be to find ways to put that capital to work years after other institutions were able to start playing offense.
Seacoast CEO Dennis Hudson, in a letter to the company's biggest shareholder, touted improved performance while questioning the timing of the investor's push for a sale.
Seattle, with great demographics and low unemployment, is an attractive market, but M&A is constrained by a dearth of locally owned banks.
Seacoast Banking in Florida is facing pressure from CapGen, its biggest investor, to generate better returns or sell to a larger institution.
A dozen directors were re-elected at Middleburg Financial in Virginia despite a protest from the company's biggest investor.
PL Capital, a big investor in Banc of California, is proposing that the Irvine company adopt majority, rather than plurality voting, for the election of directors.
Pennsylvania state regulators on Friday closed the $103.3 million-asset First CornerStone Bank in King of Prussia, the third institution to fail this year.
Banc of California bulked up quickly in the aftermath of the financial crisis, first through acquisitions and now with organic growth. CEO Steven Sugarman discusses how his bank manages its exposure while preparing to cross an important regulatory threshold.
Shares in Bank of the Ozarks slid Wednesday after an investor known for shorting stocks warned about risk in the company's construction portfolio. The stock recovered some by the end of trading, and several analysts said the concerns are unfounded.
Amalgamated Bank in New York has started offering down payment insurance to homebuyers in a move it hopes will set it apart with highly mobile millennial borrowers.
KeyCorp will sell 18 branches as part of an agreement with the Justice Department and the Federal Reserve Board to complete its purchase of First Niagara Financial Group.