The number of U.S. banks has dropped by two-thirds since the mid-1980s. Everyone expects this trend to continue for the foreseeable future. But at what point does M&A cool?

The changes, which follow similar moves by other large banks, occur as Bank of the West seeks to close a $16.3 billion merger with BMO Harris Bank.

The country's largest banks should deepen partnerships with minority depository institutions and community development financial institutions, and regulators should facilitate that process.

The buyer said it would pay $140 million in cash and stock to acquire Citizens Bancshares. It would gain about $1 billion of assets in and around Missouri's largest city.

So far this year, banks have reported that borrowers continue to repay their loans and delinquency rates remain low. But there are signs that this may change.

Stephens Inc. found only 19% of bankers expect deal volume to pick up over the next 12 months. It was the lowest percentage since the firm's surveys started in 2017.

Wells Fargo remains committed to turning itself around following a series of scandals that have plagued the bank since the middle of the last decade, but it will take "several years of work" to satisfy U.S. regulators, Chief Executive Charlie Scharf said.

The additional data that will become available as the economy slows should reveal the true strength of the technology companies some banks are working with and that should inform whether more regulation is required.

After a bruising proxy fight that led to the ouster of the Philadelphia bank's former chairman and CEO Vernon Hill, remaining stakeholders find themselves in disagreement over a potential sale of the the company.

Late penalties on credit cards are set to rise 9% in 2023 under current rules that allow for increases tied to the Consumer Price Index. But Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra says he wants to issue a regulation that could undo that inflation-related exception to limits on fees that banks may charge cardholders.

The class-action lawsuit was brought on behalf of mortgage borrowers who were allegedly placed into forbearance during the early days of the pandemic without their consent.

Already the nation's largest Small Business Administration lender by dollar volume, the Wilmington-based bank plans to add more than 200 employees and spend $25 million on a new building.

For at least several weeks, Federal Reserve officials have been peppering Goldman management with questions and follow-ups in a process that's continuing, people with knowledge of the matter said.

The Consumer Bankers Association and the Center for Responsible Lending said the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau should renew its efforts to level the regulatory playing field between larger bank and nonbank companies that make installment and other kinds of personal loans.

The bank's web- and mobile-based chatbot was built using software from Amazon.

The bank, which is seeking regulatory approval of its proposed First Horizon purchase, said that a quarter of the branches will be in majority-minority or low-to-moderate income neighborhoods. Progressive groups have argued that the $13.4 billion acquisition would harm low-income communities.

More than 350 investors put money into Agility Bank, a de novo minority depository institution that opened in May. It raised nearly $41 million, well surpassing its $30 million goal.