Bank of Montreal, which just completed its $16.3 billion takeover of Bank of the West, expects to be able to gain share even in U.S. markets where the firm only has a sparse branch presence.

The bank, which is beleaguered by digital-asset portfolio forced loan charge-offs that led to a loss in the third quarter and for the full year, climbed to a net income of $2.7 million for the fourth quarter.

A plan released Wednesday by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was more aggressive than anticipated, leading to share price declines at Synchrony Financial, Capital One and Bread Financial. "This skews toward the worst-case scenario," one analyst wrote.

In a reversal from five years ago, six of the eight biggest U.S. banks by branch count now offer the loans, which observers see as safer alternatives to payday loans.

JPMorgan Chase is planning to launch a digital bank in Germany as its second international consumer outpost, a move that will create a launchpad for the biggest U.S. bank to further expand in Europe.

As companies downsize and restructure, American Banker is tracking these decisions to help our readers understand how their industries are adapting.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra plans to propose a rule to set late fees at reasonable levels and no longer peg late fees to inflation.

The scandal's roots stretch back more than a decade. In a corporate environment that doesn't welcome bad news, problems fester.

The Long Island company is closing 69% of the retail home lending offices previously operated by Flagstar Bancorp. New York Community recently acquired Flagstar for $2.6 billion.

The Radnor, Pennsylvania-based financial technology company made an unsuccessful bid to buy a bank. Now it is shifting into expense-reduction mode.

Famous for his hand-typed "Guenther-gram" messages, the longtime Independent Community Bankers of America CEO played a critical role in boosting the trade group's political clout after it moved to Washington from Sauk Centre, Minnesota, in 1982.

As the phony-accounts scandal is brewing in 2014, the executive who functions as the top cop inside Wells Fargo gets shown the door.

The $41.2 billion-asset Los Angeles bank says it will wind down its premium finance and multifamily lending segments and intentionally slow loan growth.

Indexes show heightened expectations for a recession and souring loans. But executives are upbeat about middle-market businesses and overall job growth.

Banks need to be cautious about negotiating pre-merger Community Benefit Agreements with nationwide activist groups. The deals carry real reputational hazard.

Technology that was seen as best-in-class 10 years ago is practically table stakes for banks today and does not differentiate one bank from another. Branches do.

Almost a fifth of U.S. banks are offering savings rates of 2% or more, a huge spike from a year ago, according to new data. Banks are paying more out of fear their customers will flee to competitors offering higher rates.

While branch closings remain the norm throughout the industry, the hunt for suddenly scarce deposits is prompting some community banks to move in the opposite direction and expand their branch networks.

The McLean, Virginia-based bank is building its deposit base — in contrast with many banks that are starting to see outflows. But the growth is accompanied by rising interest expenses, which are expected to cut modestly into profit margins this year.

Members of the American Bankers Association's Economic Advisory Committee expect gross domestic product to stall in 2023. Other surveys show a modest contraction. Lenders say sentiment among their borrowers also points to a slight slowdown.