After taking incremental steps to bolster its wealth management business, the Rhode Island bank is preparing to roll out a broader strategy focused on high-net-worth clients.

The avoidance of one of the harsher economic scenarios is good news for banks, which are also contending with tighter profit margins and increasing competition for customers. But loan growth and credit quality could be at risk.

Merchants Bancorp says it will sell a total of four branches to two buyers and focus more on its core residential mortgage lending business. Banks of all sizes have been pruning branch networks in recent years.

The deal, approved by a federal judge on Friday, resolves claims alleging that former CEO Tim Sloan and other bank executives made misleading statements to investors, the media and Congress.

Merrimack Valley Credit Union is launching a disaster relief loan, William Daley will retire from Wells Fargo, New York Community Bancorp promotes Signorille-Browne to COO and more in the weekly banking news roundup.

Ashton Ryan Jr. was convicted on dozens of fraud and conspiracy charges connected to the 2017 failure of the New Orleans bank he founded.

Regulators and the public are still concerned about the condition of the banking system. Bankers can't afford to look away.

After a steep sell-off early in 2023, the sector has recovered ground in summer trading as recession worries ease. But investors remain wary because loan demand is light, deposit costs are high, and net interest margins are under pressure.

Artificial intelligence is on the cusp of solving some of the most chronic problems facing bank managers. They need to embrace it.