Robert Barba is the technology editor of American Banker. Robert previously served as deputy editor of American Banker's dealmaking and strategy section. He joined American Banker in late 2007 as a community banking reporter, just in time for the financial crisis. Robert played a lead role in covering community banks' struggle for survival in the years following the downturn. Robert has appeared on Fox Business to discuss bank failures and the Treasury Department's Troubled Asset Relief Program. Prior to joining American Banker, Robert was a general business reporter at Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers in Stuart, Fla. He began his career as a business desk intern at The Denver Post and Boulder Daily Camera. Robert is based in New York.
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Investors expected rates to increase last year. When they didn't, it showed up everywhere: stock prices, earnings estimates and banks' decisions to sell or go public. In a wide-ranging interview, KBW CEO Thomas Michaud reflects on what turned out to be a good year for M&A, what is driving deals and his firm's role in bringing companies together.
March 24 -
Sterne Agee's investment bank was among the most active last year, handling 18 deals. But the parent company's pending sale is leaving observers wondering what will happen to the people who shepherded those transactions.
March 23 -
BOK Financial in Tulsa, Okla., has reorganized several management posts following the resignation of its chief operating officer.
March 20 -
Kevin Cummings, the New Jersey company's CEO, transformed Investors to sizable bank prior to its second-step conversion last May. With $2.2 billion in capital and an updated core system, Cummings has his sights on the company's next growth phase.
March 18 -
Tangible book value was considered nearly sacred after the financial crisis. With the economy improving, investors are becoming more tolerant of acquirers diluting tangible book value for accretive deals.
March 16 -
Stifel Financial has found a buyer for the institutional equity business of Sterne Agee Group, the financial services firm it recently agreed to acquire.
March 13 -
Western Alliance Bancorp. relishes niches with thin competition and high rewards. Its deal for Bridge Capital is no different: The seller serves small tech companies that provide high liquidity and ample fee revenue.
March 13 -
A recovering economy has all but stopped talk about loan growth. Instead, bankers are now getting grilled about deposit gathering, dealmaking and, in some instances, how they are dealing with slumping energy prices.
March 11 -
The Federal Reserve and JPMorgan Chase were far apart last week in how much revenue the company would be making after the kind of economic shock envisioned in the Dodd-Frank stress test. The gap has JPM observers cautiously awaiting the results of this week's CCAR test.
March 9 -
The trade group's leader touted progress in areas such as qualified mortgages and flood insurance, but he also encouraged members to keep speaking out against overzealous supervision.
March 3 -
The Texas banker, who chaired the ICBA during the financial crisis, feels much better about the regulatory environment for smaller banks. She just wishes that interest rates would finally rise.
March 2 -
The lobbying group's agenda typically includes a general session featuring top regulators. But with the ICBA's Washington Policy Summit two months away, the group opted to steer the focus of its annual convention toward education.
March 2 -
Jack Hartings is a vocal proponent of reduced regulation for small banks. But the CEO of Peoples Bank in Ohio wants Washington to force other industries to share the burden of improving cybersecurity and cleaning up after breaches.
February 27 -
JPMorgan Chase's leader is the latest big bank CEO to embrace organic growth, leaving some to wonder if he really sees the benefits or is just being realistic about the struggle that would be required to get regulators to bless a deal.
February 25 -
JPMorgan Chase executives used an annual investor gathering to hammer home their arguments why the company's sum is more valuable than its parts and to promise investors that they will keep slicing costs.
February 24 -
Busting up JPMorgan Chase would result in a collection of financial services companies with higher back-office costs, more divided capital and less power to be a world leader, the company's CFO said Tuesday.
February 24 -
Pinnacle Financial recently bought a 30% stake in a firm that originates most of its loans to doctors online and then auctions them to community banks. The move promises higher fee income, but could also put Pinnacle at the forefront of banking's hottest trend.
February 20 -
Talmer Bancorp in Troy, Mich., has paid billionaire backer Wilbur Ross $20 million to redeem warrants he has held in the company for several years.
February 19 -
Branch closings draw big headlines, but several large banks are entering new markets or bulking up in underrepresented cities by adding branches and hiring lenders. Bank of America, for instance, is planning a retail push in Denver and Minneapolis.
February 13 -
Metro Bancorp, which has been fielding calls to sell itself for nearly a year, disclosed that CEO Gary Nalbandian will take a medical leave to undergo bypass surgery. Metro's executive team will be tasked with an ongoing effort to improve performance and remain independent.
February 11
