Laura Alix

The bank, which has branches in eight states and operates a nationwide real estate business, said that the proposed new name, Bank OZK, would better reflect its geographic reach.

The online giant has succeeded in disrupting every area of retail, but in banking it faces a high barrier to entry and fierce determination from banks like Citizens Financial and Bank of the West to keep upping their games.

Despite past missteps in the U.S. mortgage business, the bank is giving it another go, bringing servicing in-house and catering to millennials and international clients here, says HSBC’s Raman Muralidharan.

With interest rates rising, corporate tax rates declining and regulatory relief likely on the way, now is actually a pretty good time to be a bank. That could be why sellers are holding out for more.

Deposit prices are starting to rise, deposit growth is slowing, commercial loan growth remains tepid (with some exceptions) and concerns are mounting about the economic toll of U.S. trade policy, bank executives said just a few weeks ahead of the end of the quarter.

The Alabama company, as part of an efficiency effort, is streamlining its organizational structure and creating a division focused on community engagement.

Two civil rights groups in Texas allege that Capital One's TV ads featuring black celebrities encourage minority customers to deposit money and use debit cards, while its branch closings in their neighborhoods cut them off from loans and other services.

A debate is brewing about whether rising rates mean banks must pay more to hold onto deposits from city and county governments — and whether they are worth it. Some would say no question on both counts, while others say it all depends on the financial strategy of the client and how badly the bank needs that client.

Kathleen Henry and Steven Antonakes have been named to the bank's management committee.

Since stepping down as CEO of Webster Bank last month, James Smith has spent much of his time co-chairing a panel tasked with solving his home state’s fiscal and economic woes. Banks, and perhaps even fintechs, could be a part of its comeback story, he says.