Kristin Broughton

An executive from Regions Financial said recently that his bank plans to pad fee income by expanding into syndication of low-income housing credits. The comment shed light on an increasingly competitive business — and reminded the world again how eager banks are for even incremental boosts to revenue.

The CEOs of banks that operate only online argued Thursday that their model is the way of the future. Not so fast, responded the heads of some of the nation's largest banks.

Credit quality has improved across the industry over the past few years, but don't expect that trend to continue because of several economic forces, big-bank CEOs said Thursday.

A number of executives are warning that midsize borrowers are hoarding cash rather than borrowing, reflecting increased concern about the economy.

The drumbeat of news about hackers stealing millions of dollars by gaming the Swift interbank messaging system should have been a wake-up call for banking executives, but it's unclear how many of them answered it. Is it too late for them to shore up their defenses?

The drumbeat of news about hackers stealing millions of dollars by gaming the Swift interbank messaging system should have been a wake-up call for banking executives, but it's unclear how many of them answered it. Is it too late for them to shore up their defenses?

Activist-pressured Comerica disclosed some long-awaited, positive news, reporting an uptick in average loan balances so far in the second quarter.

While many of the nation's biggest banks provide live streams of their shareholders meetings, many midsize institutions do not. Investors are urging more institutions to webcast those gatherings, based on a belief that doing so will increase transparency.

TCF Financial in Minnesota has launched a set of products targeting low-income customers. The company, which has closed a fifth of its branches in recent years, hopes underbanked clients will boost traffic at its remaining locations.

The heads of megabanks get paid a lot. Some investors want them to streamline their companies for greater returns. But it's arguable whether those CEOs would want to do so if their counterparts at smaller, better-performing banks get paid less.

UMB Financial took its lumps last year when its funds management business suffered from large outflows. The challenge prompted UMB to tighten up on expenses and rely more on revenue tied to its balance sheet.

JPMorgan attracted stronger support for its annual say-on-pay vote after dozens of conversations with major shareholders prompted it to make a series of changes to executive compensation.

Recent speculation that Comerica is on the block has sparked a conversation about how regulators would vet the sale of a SIFI.

Can't anybody get along … for even five minutes? JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon called community banking leader Cam Fine a "jerk" on cable television. Fine responded by blasting megabanks for their role in the financial crisis.

Maria Vullo, still stuck in limbo as acting superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services, is hindered from putting her mark on the agency until she gets confirmed. So a quiet guessing game is going on about how her supervisory philosophy will compare with her predecessor Benjamin Lawsky.

It didn't take long for Karen Parkhill to re-emerge after her sudden departure from Comerica in Dallas. Parkhill was named chief financial officer at Medtronic, a medical technology company based in Dublin, Ireland.

The $69 billion-asset company in Dallas said in a press release Tuesday that Karen Parkhill resigned on Friday to "pursue other opportunities." Parkhill, who had also been the company's vice chairman, had been with Comerica since 2011.

Green Bancorp's surprise decision to purge all of its oil credits comes at a time when other banks have been gradually paring back exposure.

CIT's bread-and-butter business — commercial banking — weakened as it embarks on a broader turnaround plan. Soft demand from midsize companies plagued it and other lenders last quarter. Will that problem continue the rest of the year?

CIT Group in Livingston, N.J., reported higher profits, boosted by gains from its acquisition of OneWest Bank.