Nathan Place

The Alabama company has a long history of absorbing smaller firms with special skills. Acquiring the investment bank Frazer Lanier, an analyst said, is another example of that strategy.

As a subsidiary of Bank of America, Merrill uses a BofA software program to monitor and report suspicious activity. For years, the Securities and Exchange Commission says, that program fell short.

Lately there's been a sea change in how tech companies charge for AI, and some banks are balking at the cost. Here's a look at how lenders can rein in their spending.

In 2024, a Honduras-born man who was buying a motorcycle was turned down for a loan. Two years later, Truist Financial is facing a discrimination lawsuit — and the plaintiff's lawyer says many lenders are vulnerable to the same accusations.

New York State's attorney general has reached settlements with the two banks, which will pay a combined $90,000 in penalties in connection with alleged violations of rent stabilization laws.

At a conference in New York, Joseph Otting reflected on the difficult hiring decisions he made early in his tenure heading Flagstar Bank, which just two years ago was on the verge of collapse.

BofA is using an old-school method to battle the world's newest scams: in-person seminars, taught at brick-and-mortar branches.

The super-regional bank is increasingly building AI on its own. The point, CEO Bill Demchak said this week, is not just to foster innovation but to protect the bank from rising costs.

OceanFirst Financial and Hanover Bancorp are among the banks paring back their exposure to the rent-regulated multifamily loan market in New York City. Mayor Zohran Mamdani has appointed six of the nine members of a board that's scheduled to vote later this month on a rent freeze.

Since Michael Rhodes became its CEO, Ally Financial has gotten bigger by thinking more narrowly. Instead of growing the company's web of businesses, the company has exited some sectors while doubling down on what Ally does best: auto lending.

Canada's largest bank beat Wall Street's expectations in the second quarter. But some analysts were puzzled by RBC's decision to shrink its provisions for credit losses at the same time as its executives were acknowledging "elevated" macroeconomic uncertainty.

JPMorganChase's shareholders have occasionally floated proposals to make sure the bank's lobbying dollars match its public statements. At the company's annual meeting on Monday, support for one such measure was down significantly from a similar proposal in 2023.

Sens. Ed Markey and Ron Wyden argue that the Small Business Administration neglected to warn small firms of the risks of merchant cash advances and closed off a key "escape route" from the resulting debts.

As Americans lose more money to scams every year, the nation's largest bank has made a major investment in anti-fraud efforts.

At its first-ever investor day, the Phoenix-based bank fended off questions stemming from two recently disclosed problem loans, including one that resulted in a $126 million charge-off.

Plans were moving along smoothly for a new data center in Franklin County, Missouri — until residents found out about it. Now the project is facing a fierce public backlash, and a local community bank is caught in the crossfire.

As gas prices surge, small businesses — particularly in agriculture and transportation — have struggled to keep up. For banks, this has brought a combination of short-term benefits and long-term concerns.

Opportunity favors the prepared, and Cambridge Savings Bank had been saving for years to buy a nearby rival. Now, as the mutual bank announces plans to acquire First Seacoast Bank, it says it's found "the right deal at the right time."

Brian Moynihan will continue to wear two hats, thanks to the support of almost 70% of Bank of America's shareholders.

Banner Bank is poised to merge with Bank of the Pacific in an all-stock deal valued at $177 million. The two Washington-based commercial banks both have branches in Washington and Oregon.