Laura Alix

If the no-premium agreement announced by First Horizon and Iberiabank this week is a sign that sellers’ asking prices will come down, then Regions might reconsider its anti-M&A stance, a company executive said.

Don Kimble assured investors Wednesday that the bank is being "very diligent" in lending to an industry some experts say is already in a recession. Echoing other banking executives, he also predicted that consumer lending would drive overall loan growth in the near term.

The Boston bank’s online money market account won’t start until later next year, and many rivals have already beaten it to the punch. But the window for new entrants is still open provided they do certain things right, experts say.

The San Antonio company said it withstood rate pressures because it has been ahead of the game in deposit pricing over the last two years.

The bank says the deal will appeal to millennials' preference for installment loans over credit cards and let consumers get an early upgrade to the next Xbox coming out next year.

Figure Technologies, which has made $600 million in home equity loans in the past year, says its next move will be refinancing student loans.

The combination of low unemployment, rising wages and falling interest rates means more households are taking out loans for big-ticket items like speedboats and mobile homes.

Midsize players like BankUnited, BOK and Fulton Financial plan to rely on selective M&A, catering to niches overlooked by big banks, aggressive recruitment of commercial lenders and other strategies to stimulate revenue growth.

Huntington Bancshares and U.S. Bancorp also said in recent days that they are eliminating jobs to reduce overhead and improve profits. With net interest margins shrinking and branch traffic continuing to decline, expect more banks to follow suit, analysts say.

The company says the upgrade will support future digital investments. It also said Tuesday that third-quarter profits climbed 8% but reported a sharp increase in criticized business loans.