Paul Davis

Royal Bank of Canada says it feels no added pressure to resume U.S. acquisitions despite aggressive moves by a major Canadian competitor.

Toronto-Dominion Bank's announcement Monday that it plans to purchase South Financial Group Inc. is as notable for what it is not — a failed-bank deal with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. — as for what it is: an acquisition featuring key Treasury Department concessions on Troubled Asset Relief Program-related securities held by the target.

The top executives of BB&T Corp. and First Horizon National Corp. said Wednesday that they are interested in acquisitions but not necessarily ones involving failed institutions.

The European debt crisis poses problems for American banks still recovering from the housing crisis, even though most of them have relatively little — if any — direct exposure to troubled economies like Greece, Portugal and Spain.

Synovus has a mix of supporters who are impressed by the capital boost, and skeptics who consider the move long overdue and want the company to hunker down over the next few quarters rather than stretch for profit.

An incendiary memo from JPMorgan Chase sees a firestorm of backlash; Bank of America hires The History Channel to highlight its noble beginnings; business leaders dine with President Obama; and more.

Net interest margins expanded at most of the nation's biggest banking companies in the first quarter compared with the previous quarter, suggesting banks have found another way to counter continued credit losses.

Bank of America Corp. said Wednesday that it had loaned $19.4 billion to small and midsize businesses in the first quarter.

BBVA Compass is broadening customers' options when it comes to overdraft protection. The bank, a Birmingham, Ala., unit of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA in Madrid, said it began offering customers an opt-in choice for overdraft coverage on all checking-related transactions last Wednesday.

Synovus Financial Corp. called off a planned exchange of common stock for subordinated notes due to strong demand last week for its common stock offering.

Synovus Financial Corp.'s capital-raising efforts brought in $1 billion, exceeding its original plan by 67%.

BNY Mellon's Robert Kelly says regulatory reform needs to address mortgage market woes; Wells' stockholders are less restless than those at other banks; and more.

The overall tenor of the 2010 meeting was considerably less vitriolic, and a number of speakers used their time to praise B of A for its efforts to help consumers. Most negative feedback came not from upset investors but people who said the company could do more to repair the economy and help struggling borrowers.

The "noise" surrounding earnings season faded in the first quarter, and that may have said as much about how banks are shaking off the residue of the crisis as did the cuts in loan-loss provisions or the confident pronouncements of chief executives.

The "noise" surrounding earnings season faded in the first quarter, and that may have said as much about how banks are shaking off the residue of the crisis as did the cuts in loan-loss provisions or the confident pronouncements of chief executives.

Capital One Financial Corp. reported its third straight quarterly profit on lower credit costs. The $200.7 billion-asset McLean, Va., company earned $636.3 million in the first quarter, compared with $375.6 million in the fourth quarter and a $172.3 million loss a year earlier.

Robert Wilmers of M&T Bank Corp. offers no sugar the government; Evelyn Davis has friends in high places; and more.

New York Community Bancorp reported a sharp increase in first-quarter earnings Wednesday. The $42.4 billion-asset Westbury, N.Y., company said its profit rose 29% from the fourth quarter and 40.2% from a year earlier, to $124.4 million.

Granted, loan volume across the industry continues to shrink. But based on first-quarter results from companies including Comerica Inc., SunTrust Banks Inc., KeyCorp and Huntington Bancshares Inc., it is contracting at a slower clip.

Synovus Financial Corp. reported its seventh straight quarterly loss despite lower credit costs and a gain from selling its merchant services business.