Laura Alix is a reporter at American Banker.
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James Smith said he would decide soon whether he’ll seek the Republican nomination for governor. He said he was inspired partly by his recent work on a commission tasked with recommending fixes to the state’s fiscal and economic problems.
By Laura AlixApril 6 -
BB&T is the nation's fifth-largest insurance broker. The deal, expected to close in the third quarter, would further expand its reach in the Southeast and Texas.
By Laura AlixApril 6 -
China’s threat to impose hefty tariffs on dozens of U.S. imports could weaken demand for soybeans, pork and other agricultural products. Here's what that could mean for farmers, ranchers and the banks that lend to them.
By Laura AlixApril 4 -
The state’s banking regulator said that the online consumer lender made over 46,000 small loans to Bay State consumers without a license. The company surrendered its license to the state regulator as part of a 2011 consent order.
By Laura AlixApril 3 -
A majority of midsize and large banks complain that red tape is mounting and that they are passing on higher regulatory costs to customers and have less flexibility in designing products, according to a new survey by the RMA.
By Laura AlixMarch 28 -
Some investors fear BBVA is taking a big risk by getting into unsecured personal lending long after online lenders have established themselves, but bank officials argue the bank’s cost of funds and in-depth knowledge of its customers will help it to outdo the competition.
By Laura AlixMarch 28 -
The company has agreed to acquire Bank of Rio Vista to expand its operations in central California.
By Laura AlixMarch 27 -
Only North Dakota has its own state-owned bank, but policymakers in other states say more public banks are necessary to fully meet society's needs. Among those who proponents say would benefit the most: small-business owners and legal marijuana suppliers and distributors.
By Laura AlixMarch 25 -
Behavioral biometrics are attractive because they are easy to implement, hard for criminals to spoof and not subject to the same privacy protections applied to thumbprints or retina scans.
By Laura AlixMarch 22 -
The Portland, Ore., company has hired four private bankers from City National as part of a broader effort to provide a full range of services to business owners and high-net-worth households in Orange County and San Diego.
By Laura AlixMarch 22 -
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.
By Laura AlixMarch 16 -
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.
By Laura AlixMarch 13 -
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.
By Laura AlixMarch 12 -
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.
By Laura AlixMarch 7 -
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.
By Laura AlixMarch 6 -
The Alabama company, as part of an efficiency effort, is streamlining its organizational structure and creating a division focused on community engagement.
By Laura AlixMarch 2 -
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.
By Laura AlixMarch 1 -
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.
By Laura AlixFebruary 28 -
Kathleen Henry and Steven Antonakes have been named to the bank's management committee.
By Laura AlixFebruary 28 -
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.
By Laura AlixFebruary 26


















