Kristin Broughton

A sharp decline in capital markets fees at the Minneapolis company shows tepid loan growth is not the only side effect of tax reform at banks. How hard will it be to bounce back?

Quarterly earnings at the Minneapolis company were boosted instead by a wider net interest margin and a lower tax rate.

The divide highlights a lingering question about how much commercial and retail depositors value cutting-edge technology over price — and whether midsize banks can keep pace with bigger rivals when it comes to tech investments.

Profits soared at the Dallas bank as recent interest rate hikes and ongoing expense cuts outweighed weakness in the company’s loan book and in its fee income.

During earnings calls, bankers praised regulators' latest efforts to modify capital rules. JPMorgan Chase CFO Marianne Lake, meanwhile, called on policymakers to focus on overhauling the G-SIB surcharge.

A 28% increase in lease assets helped offset stagnant growth in traditional auto lending.

The announcement is an example of how Green Dot, which swung from a loss to a profit in the fourth quarter, is focusing on technology partnerships with Intuit, Uber and others to boost its bottom line.

It remains to be seen whether Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony on Capitol Hill will prompt lawmakers to move forward on data privacy legislation. But it’s clear that the debate is just getting started — and that banks have a big stake.

It’s still not business as usual, but the decision to unify its two brands — Popular Community Bank on the U.S. mainland, Banco Popular in the U.S. territories — under a single, simpler name is a welcome sign that Puerto Rico’s largest bank is moving forward after the devastation of Hurricane Maria.

The subprime auto lender failed to disclose that it received fees for referring borrowers to CarMax, the used-car dealer, according to California's financial regulator.