Kristin Broughton

How two midsize banks and a marketplace lender are relying on chief culture officers to maintain a lively work environment and preserve their values amid M&A and organic growth.

Some are looking at buying banks or counting on recently announced acquisitions to diversify revenue streams. Others are investing in fee-based businesses and new technologies and all, of course, are trying to keep a lid on expenses.

TCF Financial in Wayzata, Minn., reported sharply higher profits driven by gains on the sale of auto loans even as auto-related chargeoffs rose.

Higher compensation and credit costs drove down quarterly profits at Fifth Third Bancorp in Cincinnati, offsetting revenue gains.

Richard Davis, the Minneapolis bank's CEO, is defending his decision to charge a fee for real-time payments. The move will allow it to earn back the cost of investment and prevent consumers from thinking of the bank as "a utility," he says.

U.S. Bancorp in Minneapolis on Wednesday reported lower profits, thanks to higher costs and further deterioration in the company’s energy portfolio.

Since replacing Kevin Kabat in November, Greg Carmichael has said that the Cincinnati company needs to invest more heavily in technology and compliance now in order to boost profits and improve efficiency down the road. But investors worry that expenses will grow faster than revenues and further squeeze margins.

The world knows JPMorgan's quarterly profits fell and that it flunked the living wills test. But underneath all that were solid first-quarter results in its core lending businesses that bode well for other banks at the start of earnings season.

Kearny Financial completed its IPO less than a year ago and already it has found itself in the crosshairs of Lawrence Seidman. The well-known activist is pushing for the resignation of several board members he says are overcompensated and is urging shareholders to vote against a proposal on director pay this fall.

The JPMorgan Chase CEO used his annual letter to shareholders to once again defend big banks and their role in the economy.