Laura Alix

The Salt Lake City company reported a 21% increase in second-quarter profits, even as its decision to scale back commercial real estate lending muted overall loan growth.

Loan growth, fueled by increased tourism spending, more than offset a sharp drop in fee income at the Honolulu company.

Despite some green shoots in key credit segments, total loan growth was light at many banks last quarter. Rate hikes are threatened, and deposits will get pricier — where will the earnings come from?

The Birmingham, Ala., bank also saw lending decline in the quarter as strategic reductions in certain business lending lines offset gains in C&I and consumer.

Repayments on acquired residential mortgage loans were the main reason, but other bottom-line boosters more than made up for that, the Buffalo, N.Y., bank said in reporting second-quarter results.

Comerica faced aggressive questioning Tuesday about how it could use freed-up capital now that it’s no longer considered a systemically important financial institution. It won’t be the last small regional to get such a grilling this earnings season.

Declines in corporate banking and energy loans were part of the reason loan growth was light, but the Dallas bank reported strong earnings thanks heavily to fatter margins.

After the Cincinnati bank started a personal assistant service for new mothers, it learned new parents needed help with budgeting, and that motivated it to team up with a Goldman Sachs firm to establish a financial wellness program for all its employees.

Jennifer Jackson will succeed Shane Holdaway as head of the Toronto-based unit, which has 1,200 employees.

The final sale price came it at $6.9 billion, or about $900 million more than what the two firms agreed upon when the deal was announced in November.

Turnover of chief risk officers is on the rise as CEOs look to add executives whose experience goes far beyond assessing credit risk. Sometimes they are promoting from within, but often they are poaching talent from rival banks.

The measure, which has been compared to the EU’s new consumer privacy rules, grants Californians new rights over how companies collect and use their personal data.

A new survey from J.D. Power shows that customers of digital-only banks, such as Capital One 360 and Ally Bank, are less satisfied with their banks' mobile channels than they were a year ago. Declining satisfaction among younger consumers is driving that trend.

The rents are steep and they don't generate much revenue, but some banks believe that airport branches still have a role to play in their retail strategies — particularly as advice centers.

Aurora Cannabis in Edmonton, Alberta, said it recently agreed to a $150M term loan and a $50M line of credit from Bank of Montreal, the largest traditional bank investment into the marijuana industry to date.

The quest for fast payments is advancing on the consumer side, but most banks are said to be undecided about a host of issues tied to speeding up transactions between businesses.

SunTrust will operate a branch inside Hartsfield-Jackson's main domestic terminal and operate 16 ATMs throughout the airport. Wells said its revenue had been declining.

The Atlanta bank has financed construction and other activities tied to nursing homes and related facilities mainly in its East Coast markets. It says the timing is good to tap into demand elsewhere in the country.

Everyone agrees good corporate governance involves a board that is just the “right” size and has a “good mix” of knowledgeable insiders and independent watchdogs. But setting bright-line rules for banks as varied as M&T, Wells Fargo and Eastern Bank is hard.

In a new initiative announced Friday, Bank of America said that it will work with several nonprofits to source a pipeline of local talent in its markets.