Polo Rocha is a Washington D.C.-based reporter who covers consumer finance and national banking trends. He previously covered the Federal Reserve at S&P Global Market Intelligence and state politics at WisPolitics.com. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is pursuing a master's in finance degree at Johns Hopkins University.
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The auditing giant KPMG audited the three regional banks that failed last year. New York Community's recent disclosures that it had financial reporting weaknesses in 2023 raises new questions over the auditors' role.
By Polo RochaMarch 5 -
New York Community Bancorp faced new questions Friday after a flurry of disclosures led to a steep sell-off in its stock. The embattled Long Island-based lender beefed up its risk leadership, but Fitch cut its rating to "junk" status.
March 1 -
Royal Bank of Canada is optimistic that new U.S. leadership, including former Fifth Third CEO Greg Carmichael, can rejuvenate its struggling City National Bank.
By Polo RochaFebruary 28 -
CEO Charlie Scharf has added another former JPMorgan Chase colleague to his leadership team as his shake-up of Wells Fargo continues. The hire of veteran investment banker Doug Braunstein comes as Scharf makes progress on his efforts to grow Wells' investment bank.
By Polo RochaFebruary 27 -
The Salt Lake City company has promoted Paul Burdiss, its chief financial officer, to succeed A. Scott Anderson as president and CEO of its banking unit. It also named a new CFO and a new general counsel.
By Polo RochaFebruary 26 -
The two companies in the largest bank merger since the 2008 financial crisis released details of their agreement. It leaves the door open for Discover to field better offers, though the payments company would pay a break-up fee of 4% if it accepts one.
By Polo RochaFebruary 22 -
The credit card lender's blockbuster acquisition of Discover is not guaranteed to get across the finish line. But co-founder and CEO Richard Fairbank appears to see the rewards that would come from controlling a payments network as outweighing the potential downside.
By Polo RochaFebruary 22 -
The blockbuster merger proposal will be reviewed at a time when the Biden administration is expressing skepticism about consolidation. Its analysis will have to account for markets dominated by both big banks and the likes of Visa and Mastercard.
February 20 -
Capital One Financial's proposed acquisition of Discover Financial Services would create a credit card behemoth with its own payments network. The deal is likely to draw tough regulatory scrutiny, though analysts say there are many compelling strategic reasons for the combination.
February 19 -
Investors have hammered the New Jersey-based lender following the turmoil at New York Community Bancorp. But Valley executives say there are key differences between the two real estate-focused banks, and they express confidence that the bank's underwriting will hold up again this cycle.
By Polo RochaFebruary 16