Laura Alix

What if you have workplace flexibility policies and women, afraid to be seen as less committed than male peers, don't use them? Take a lesson from BMO Financial.

The way Charlotte McLaughlin sees it, grit is a little like exercise: You only get stronger with practice.

When the Birmingham, Ala., bank was rethinking its branch strategy, it had to reconsider the role of its tellers. Ultimately, it decided to transition those workers to a more general banker role that emphasizes meaningful conversations with customers and continuous career progression.

The French banking giant said Tuesday that it had signed a pledge that guarantees paid parental leave, insurance and the right to unionize to all of its 200,000 employees worldwide.

The $506 million-asset GFA Federal Credit Union says it will begin accepting clients in the recreational marijuana business, making it the first Massachusetts financial institution to do so.

As the Cincinnati bank seeks to regroup after the fatal shootings at its headquarters, the incident underscores the need for preparedness at banks and credit unions of all sizes, workplace safety experts say.

“Who’s to know when the economy may turn?” the head of the Alabama bank said in describing its weak business-loan growth as the byproduct of cautious pricing and underwriting.

Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank has transformed its summer intern program so that it is more structured and attracts students who could see themselves staying in the industry.

Some are relying on a national, digital strategy. Others say the right balance of costs and growth comes from more traditional means such as targeted branch openings and out-of-market expansion.

Luis Calderon, a finance manager in the commercial bank, was killed, and Whitney Austin, a digital lending product manager, was wounded. Four people died, including the gunman, and at least two were injured.

Dawn Morris, formerly of Webster Financial, will also oversee marketing and customer experience.

A horrific tragedy unfolded at Fifth Third's main building in downtown Cincinnati, when a man opened fire on bystanders in and around the lobby-level branch. Three were killed, and the gunman died in a shootout with police.

The head of commercial banking at Citizens Financial urged bankers and other financial professionals to step out of their traditional roles and guide clients through corporate governance, data and other challenges that they themselves have dealt with.

The Minnesota bank said longtime executive John Elmore will retire in the spring and that it will combine two key departments as a result. It also plans to hire a chief digital officer.

Scott Powell, the CEO of Santander Holdings USA, has spent years contending with a host of regulatory problems. He outlined a long-range vision that includes a branch-focused retail push and possible acquisitions.

Finance students at Marquette University will make loans to small businesses in Milwaukee from a revolving fund seeded by Town Bank and held on the books of a local CDFI.

Santander Bank said Wednesday that the OCC had terminated a 2015 consent order related to an identity protection product. It is one of several regulatory headaches the bank and its parent company have resolved lately.

BNY Mellon, JPMorgan and Bank of America are recruiting interns from Year Up, many of whom lack college degrees but are trained in high-demand fields such as cybersecurity and anti-money-laundering.

Upgrade, a marketplace lender founded by Laplanche just a few months after he was ousted from LendingClub, has secured more than $100 million in equity capital and says it is poised to offer more consumer credit products.

Bank of America and several other large U.S. financial services companies, as part an effort organized by the Thomson Reuters Foundation and Western Union, have published resources to help smaller banks spot signs of forced labor and kidnapping.