Commercial banking

Auto loans, credit cards and corporate lending all showed strength in the fourth quarter, and the San Francisco bank predicts more consumers and businesses will borrow this year.

Following the recent resignations of the San Francisco bank’s co-CEO and chief operating officer, executives sought to project stability during an earnings call Friday. Employee morale is strong, and finding a leader who’s the right fit is more important than filling the job quickly, they said.

Shares fell sharply Friday after the company said spending increased 14% in the fourth quarter and will climb by another 8% in 2022. But CEO Jamie Dimon said the investments in marketing, technology and talent are necessary to ward off threats from traditional banks and upstart fintechs.

Business inventories, a key indicator of potential loan demand, are expected to swing upward this year as supply chain bottlenecks finally crack open, according to a panel of economists.

Though the dining sector has been hit hard by COVID-19, restaurateurs have pivoted to drive-thru and curbside options, and rising grocery prices are making eating out comparatively less pricey.

The largest U.S. banks have made progress in detailing the risks posed by climate change, but it's clear the industry will have to do more. As federal regulators prepare to impose new obligations, banks are pushing back against calls for more aggressive measures such as capital requirements and increased risk weighting for fossil-fuel lending.

A new group within the Alabama company's equipment finance subsidiary will be led by Jay Cannon, who recently left U.S. Bancorp.