Consumer banking

The traditional way of doing business in the branch network may be dead, but bank branches themselves will survive in some form, says Bank of the West’s Andy Harmening, a senior executive vice president and regional banking group head. Bank of the West has been able to open de novo branches without hiring any additional staff, thanks to advanced technology, to meet customer demand for in-store mortgages, small-business loans and investment advice. Harmening spoke to American Banker at the annual Best Practices in Retail Banking Symposium.

Many regional banks are too small to face the most onerous capital requirements yet big enough to grapple with the growing mountain of regulations. That, and some deft positioning, has left the group more profitable than its larger and smaller brethren alike. American Banker editors discuss the success of the regionals and the challenges they face.

The debate over whether banks should be run by separate chairmen and chief executives has gained fresh urgency as proxy season has arrived. Even at the biggest banks, the question remains far from resolved.

Bank deal-making faces a new hurdle as a small group of attorneys challenges a large number of buyout offers. For the lawyers, even dubious challenges can result in big paydays. For potential acquirers, the added costs and hassles are another hurdle on the way to reinvigorating the still-struggling bank M&A market.

William Harrison, Jr., the former Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase and an outspoken defender of large banks, says forced breakups are not in the cards.

William Harrison, former chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, is "very happy" with the bank's current position and confident the fallout from its London Whale trading losses will blow over.

Bankers these days face the prospect of getting penalized for everything from "disparate impact" to the actions of auto dealers and other third-party partners. That raises the question of whether such regulation is effective, enforceable or fair.